News reports today, Friday 9 November indicate that the Dominican obese population has trebled in the past 15 years, from 16% to 60%, as reported in Hoy. Altagracia Guzman Marcelino, director of the government state insurance plan Senasa made the announcement yesterday, Thursday 8 November. She was accompanied by the president of the Dominican Society of Endocrinology Yanet Velez and the research director of the Dominican Institute of Cardiology Rafael Pichardo.
Guzman said that the state insurance company had carried out a study that showed that 29 out of 100 women and 21 out of every 100 men suffer from general obesity, visceral obesity, blood fat and bad cholesterol, due to inadequate nutrition. Dr. Pichardo said that 10% of the Dominican population is diabetic, and 35% suffers from hypertension.
Guzman announced that Senasa was organizing a walk to mark World Diabetes Day at the Botanical Gardens on 14 November to raise public awareness of the need for prevention.