Obesity a social, not individual, health problem
A man measures his girth. Being obese is an individual issue but, over the years, the rate at which cases of this medical problem are increasing and should be declared a social problem.
What you need to know:
- Being obese is an individual issue but, over the years, the rate at which cases of this medical problem are increasing and should be declared a social problem.
- In the same way that obesity is more of a medical condition than a moral failing, the issue of Kenya’s large population being obese is affecting the nation just as much as the individual’s life.
- The statistics on obesity keep on ballooning every year with the condition being a major risk of non-communicable diseases in the country.
Being obese is an individual issue but, over the years, the rate at which cases of this medical problem are increasing and should be declared a social problem.
In the same way that obesity is more of a medical condition than a moral failing, the issue of Kenya’s large population being obese is affecting the nation just as much as the individual’s life.
The statistics on obesity keep on ballooning every year with the condition being a major risk of non-communicable diseases in the country. Some people are born obese while others develop obesity through their lifestyle. The causes are either medical or genetic but, in most cases, it’s eating unhealthy foods and living a sedentary lifestyle that leads to it.
In many developing countries, low-income families are food-insecure. Being unable to eat regularly, when they can, they cannot afford fresh food and hence, buy processed foods, which are high in calories.
Profound effects
Having a healthy population is key to a country’s progress. Obesity hugely affects the government and the economy of a country adversely. It has profound effects on commercial productivity, medical cost, social services and even culture. Obese people are also at high risk of developing other diseases—such as high blood pressure, diabetes or even cardiac disorders.
Obesity is not a topic on many Kenyans’ lips as most can barely afford a meal, but it should be. The World Obesity Atlas says that, by 2030, some 1.4 million five-19-year-olds will be obese.
More awareness and education of the condition should be done on the issue and better policies to curb it be implemented. School-based nutrition programmes should be introduced since children’s obesity has the highest burden on adults with eight in 100 children being obese.
The health sector should also reform the approach to nutrition, exercise and healthy living.
Ms Wanjiru is a communication and media technology at Maseno University. [email protected].
