Huge problem of obesity must be prioritised

In the past few decades, Africa has experienced commodity booms, brisk foreign investment inflows and relative political stability. And as the continent’s pulse quickens, the waistline growth curve steeply accelerates. 

The increased financial freedom has encouraged the middle and upper classes to consume more junk food, most of which is imported. They also get less exercise as millions of them switch from highly active activities such as farming to more sedentary city office life. The latter is exacerbated by more affordable vehicles and a wave of motorcycle imports, as just a few of them walk to work.

The University of Washington’s Institute for Health Metrics and Evaluation says eight of the 20 countries with the fastest-growing rates of adult obesity are in Africa — a public health issue that’s caught the continent off-guard.

In Kenya, for instance, obesity or overweight is a hot topic, as demonstrated in a growing corpus of literature. Among many studies, a 2008 one says obesity prevalence rates are actually higher in cities than in rural areas. 

According to a report by the Centers for Disease Control, women account for 43.4 per cent of those affected. And a 2020 study highlighted Kenya’s obesity rate to be around one in 10, which — though substantially lower than that of industrialised countries, such as the US, where more than a third of adults are obese — has grown rapidly, having more than doubled since 1990.

Obesity prevention strategy

Obesity is a huge public health concern due to its link with an increased risk of various noncommunicable diseases (NCDs), such as heart disease, stroke, cardiovascular disease, cancer, Alzheimer’s disease and the type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM). 

NCDs are reportedly expected to account for six of the top seven causes of death in the next decade and the prevalence will be determined by a doubling of life expectancy, a reduction in mortality from other causes and, most importantly, obesity. 

A rise in demonstrably controllable NCD risk factors and an increasing spate of infectious, co-infectious and neglected tropical diseases, poses a threat to the healthcare system’s long-term efficiency.

It is vital to have a three-pronged obesity prevention strategy in place. It should be founded on research, education and direct management in primary healthcare. That includes embedding food and nutrition studies in the new curriculum from elementary school through university to promote positive changes in behaviour, attitudes, culture, values and beliefs that succour obesity. 

Incentives for healthy eating habits, such as initiatives to encourage consumption of traditional foods and moderate intake of high-fat modern meals, are also significant, as well as steps to boost physical activity. A unified framework for monitoring and evaluating the population’s health and wellbeing is also critical.

Mr Onyango, a Life Scientist, is a Global Fellow at Moving Worlds Institute (MWI). [email protected]