The obesity rate among men stood at 42.8 percent, while that of women stood at 25.5 percent in 2018. (image: Korea Bizwire)
SEOUL, Oct. 23 (Korea Bizwire) — Recent statistics have revealed that despite having a far lower obesity rate than men, South Korean women account for an absolute majority in the use of drug-type anorexic agents.
According to the data that Rep. Nam In-soon of the ruling Democratic Party received from the Ministry of Food and Drug Safety, roughly 1.3 million individuals were prescribed drug-type anorexic agents in the period from July 2019 to June 2020.
Of the total, women accounted for 91.7 percent or 1.19 million, while men accounted for 8.3 percent or roughly 110,000.
The number of women who were prescribed drug-type anorexic agents overwhelmed the number of men despite the fact that rates of obesity (higher than 25 in body mass index or BMI) were higher in men than in women.
The obesity rate among men stood at 42.8 percent, while that of women stood at 25.5 percent in 2018.
In South Korea, drug-type anorexic agents, in general, are allowed to be prescribed only for those with a BMI of over 30 or those with a BMI of over 27 when they have other risk factors.
Drug-type anorexic agents for medical use, however, have different standards, and can be prescribed for those with a BMI of over 25 or those with a BMI of over 23 when they have other risk factors.
“The statistics showed that the standards have become gender-specific, leading to a gender gap in health. The standards on obesity and safety use must be reviewed and updated again,” Nam said.
Ashley Song (ashley@koreabizwire.com)
