Obesity rate highest in veggie-producing prov

BAGUIO CITY— The Department of Health reported Monday that the highest obesity rate in the Cordillera Administrative Region is in Benguet.

Despite being the source of tons of highland vegetables sold in lowland markets including Metro Manila, Benguet has an obesity rate for 42 percent – the highest in the region.

Dr. Myrna Cabotaje, DOH regional director, said Benguet folk are more prone to being obese because most people in the highlands are meat-eaters.

Cabotaje said that if only farmers readily ate their vegetable produce, then there
will be a much lower rate of obesity in the province which now poses a serious threat to the lives of young and old people.

She said the primary reason why farmers do not actually eat their vegetable produce is that their crops are high value crops intended to generate income and not for their own consumption.

Mountain Province also posted a high rate of obesity at 28.8 percent, Ifugao at 24.2 percent, Kalinga at 23.2 percent, Abra at 19 percent and Apayao with only 10.2 percent obesity rate.