Obesity spreading across Africa

What are the 2 reasons obesity is rising in Africa?

• Before COVID-19, average incomes had risen.

• More people had moved to cities, where they acquired a taste for fast food.

What is obesity linked to?

Long-term health problems such as diabetes and high blood pressure.

What would your BMI be if you are overweight?

Over 30.

What percentage of Zambian women have a BMI above 25?

35% of female population.

25 = overweight.

What is obesity often associated with?

Associated with rich, urban settlements.

Why do people become obese in cities?

Due to the accessibility to processed foods.

Those who are hard-up, take jobs far from home, so eat elsewhere as much as the rich do. Few people are educated about risks of junk food.

What is the case in Mali?

Over 40% of children aged between 6 months and 5 years had eaten at least one packaged snack or dish in the last 24 hours.

What are people excited about in Africa?

Junk food because its new and convenient.

It’s cheaper. A day’s worth of nutritious food costs about 70% of average daily income in sub-Saharan Africa.

However, what does rising obesity mean?

Does not mean that hunger has been banished.

About 30% of girls aged 5 to 19 in Africa are still underweight.

What should be put in place to tackle Africa’s weight problems?

• Children will need to be taught about nutrition.

• Packaged food needs better labels.

• Cities need pavements so people can walk or jog without being run-down by buses.