Nearly four out of ten university students carry excess weight, while over one in ten battle clinical obesity. Unveiled during the Algerian Society of Obesity and Metabolic Diseases congress, these alarming figures assume an even graver dimension when viewed alongside complications documented among patients monitored across specialized medical wards.
Obesity continues expanding nationwide across Algeria, increasingly striking younger demographic cohorts. Findings from a study tracking 1,062 university attendees demonstrate that 37.4 percent are overweight alongside 11.3 percent experiencing clinical obesity. Such troubling statistics underscore the magnitude of a public health crisis whose repercussions extend far beyond body mass, exposing affected individuals to numerous chronic conditions.
These metrics emerged during the fifth international summit hosted by the Algerian Society of Obesity and Metabolic Diseases (SAOMM), conducted across a three-day span from November 5 to 7 in Algiers, featuring medical experts, professors, researchers, and delegates representing domestic and international institutions. Conducted by SAOMM alongside the National Institute of Public Health (INSP), the research highlights the acute vulnerability confronting a major portion of the student population regarding excess weight.
Beyond youth-focused findings, outcomes from a separate evaluation examining 500 patients enrolled in Algeria’s premier specialized obesity care ward reveal the severe pathologies tied to this condition.
Delivered by Professor Ammar Tebaibia, who also chairs SAOMM, this clinical audit shows that 55.4 percent of patients suffer grade III obesity, featuring an average body mass index (BMI) of 42.1 kg/m² paired with a mean body weight of 113.45 kg.
Metabolic complications remain exceptionally prevalent. According to the reported findings, 58 percent of individuals experience blood sugar regulation disorders, breaking down into 40.2 percent diagnosed with diabetes and 17.8 percent categorized at the prediabetes stage. Compounding these issues are extra pathologies, notably obstructive sleep apnea, detected in 49 percent of cohorts, alongside hypertension affecting 48.8 percent.Hepatic and musculoskeletal impairments are equally widespread. Metabolic dysfunction-associated steatotic liver disease (MASLD) impacts 84.6 percent of monitored subjects, while 90 percent display joint disorders or structural damage. Such complications vividly demonstrate how severe weight gain degrades multiple bodily functions and diminishes overall quality of life.
The Impact of Eating Disorders
The hospital assessment additionally illuminates a dimension frequently overlooked during obesity management: eating disorders. These affect 86.8 percent of patients, characterized notably by compulsive binge eating episodes, emotional feeding behaviors, and repetitive snacking between meals.
These results emphasize that clinical care cannot rely solely on dietary prescriptions or weight-loss directives. Treatment frameworks must incorporate psychological and behavioral dimensions to tackle the complex drivers fueling the onset and progression of the disease.
Another critical takeaway centers on the ongoing difficulty in preserving consistent medical follow-up.
The specialized ward recorded a loss of contact with 46.8 percent of patients, translating to 234 out of the 500 individuals under initial care. This breakdown within the healthcare continuum presents a formidable barrier, particularly for chronic conditions demanding long-term support and regular clinical monitoring.
Concurrently, the facility’s activity exhibits substantial expansion. Patient enrollment surged from 53 individuals in 2023 to 445 in 2026, reflecting escalating demand for expert care and the pressing need to scale up national treatment capacities.
Expanding Specialized Units Nationwide
Faced with this worsening scenario, Health Minister Mohamed Seddik Aït Messaoudène stressed the urgent necessity of classifying obesity as a complex, multifactorial chronic disease rather than mere weight accumulation. In a statement read on his behalf by his chief of staff, Hadj Maâti Khalil Réda, he reiterated the profound links connecting this pathology to multiple chronic disorders, notably type 2 diabetes, high blood pressure, lipid imbalances, alongside cardiovascular and hepatic illnesses.
The minister specifically underscored the frequent co-occurrence of obesity and diabetes, encapsulated by the term “diabesity.” This clinical synergy mandates broadening therapeutic strategies toward preventing cardiovascular, renal, and metabolic risks while placing patient quality of life at the core of treatment.
For the sector’s top leader, combating obesity must rely upon an overarching strategy combining medical evaluation, therapeutic nutrition, psychological counseling, and physical activity. Pharmacotherapy and bariatric surgical interventions may also be considered when clinical indicators justify them.
Within this framework, he highlighted the importance of early screening and enhanced diagnostic protocols for obesity-related complications, particularly lipid disorders, hypertension, and hepatic damage. Expanding prevention, upgrading healthcare infrastructure, championing domestic medical talent, and encouraging scientific research remain core pillars of this roadmap.
Furthermore, the minister lauded the pivotal role assumed by scientific societies, notably SAOMM, in supporting national initiatives through knowledge dissemination, continuous training, the drafting of therapeutic protocols, and field research development.
He also referenced the pioneering twin specialized units dedicated to obesity care attached to the Djilali-Belkhenchir Public Hospital, hailing them as a promising model for treatment delivery. Accumulated patient data and mapped comorbidities represent a valuable scientific asset deserving recognition and replication across other regions of the country.