Gender Perspective Crucial in Tackling Obesity and Health Equity in Spain
A gender-informed approach is vital for addressing obesity and promoting health equity for women in Spain, experts stress.
- • Women experience biological and social vulnerabilities to obesity, impacting their health.
- • Obesity significantly increases cardiovascular disease risk in women but is often overlooked.
- • A national obesity strategy with gender and equity focus is needed in Spain.
- • Obesity should be recognized as a chronic disease to improve access to treatments.
Key details
Experts Clotilde Vázquez Martínez and Bogdana Luiza Luca emphasize that incorporating a gender perspective is essential to effectively address obesity and its health impacts on Spanish women. Women face dual vulnerabilities: biological factors such as hormonal changes throughout their life cycle, and social pressures including stigma and aesthetic expectations, which together exacerbate obesity's effects on their physical and psychological health. Notably, obesity significantly raises women's risk of cardiovascular diseases, a concern often overlooked in research and prevention.
The authors advocate for a national obesity strategy in Spain that fully integrates gender considerations and health equity. They stress the need to recognize obesity as a chronic disease to guarantee adequate access to resources and treatments. The approach calls for comprehensive measurement, research, and tailored interventions to better support women affected by obesity. Additionally, the Observatorio de Salud y Estudio de Comunicación is preparing the second edition of the White Book on Health and Gender, aimed at expanding evidence and guiding healthcare professionals and policymakers towards gender-sensitive health policies.
This work underscores that a gender-informed lens is not just rhetorical but a vital tool in promoting health equity, ensuring that obesity prevention and care in Spain adequately reflect the complex biological and social realities women face.
This article was translated and synthesized from Spanish sources, providing English-speaking readers with local perspectives.
