The Obesity Crisis #3: The Evolving Dilemma in Africa
In Burkina Faso, adult obesity prevalence has shot up by nearly 1400% in the past 40 years. This isn’t an anomaly. Obesity rates are rapidly rising in Africa, which is home to 8 of the 20 countries with the fastest growing obesity rates. This might seem surprising, at odds with the portrayal of malnourishment shown by the media. Let’s explore how this has come about, and the unique challenges the continent faces in solving this crisis.
Increasing urbanisation and globalisation has fuelled obesity
Africa is urbanizing faster than any other region in the world. In 1980, 20% of Africans lived in urban areas. Today, that’s doubled. The consequence? Citizens are leading more sedentary lives. Where walking may once have been the primary method of transportation to work, improved road networks means this has now been super-seeded by motor transport. The urban work-life itself, based in sedentary offices, is also worlds away from the physically taxing labour of rural life.
Globalisation has also lead to a change in diet, with highly processed foods becoming more affordable and available as multinational fast food chains expand into the continent. For Africans with less disposable income, companies employ tactics to ensure they too are reached. One such example is Coca-Cola Kenya, which sells smaller 200ml bottles for 15 cents, for those who cannot afford the standard 25 cent 300ml bottle.
Combating obesity in Africa presents its own unique challenges
History has played a role in shaping the present obesity crisis. In countries where citizens were formerly malnourished, obesity is not necessarily seen negatively. Indeed, in some circles in Kenya, being thin carries a stigma, with connotations of being poor and sick. Having grown up with food scarcity in their youth, parents report feeling conflicted about restricting their own children’s diet: they do not want to deny their children what was denied to them.
Lack of infrastructure also makes addressing the crisis harder. Public health systems in many African countries are geared towards tackling infectious disease, rather than the non-communicable diseases associated with obesity. In Kenya for example, there are only 40 cardiologists for the 48 million strong population. Compare that with the US, where there’s 1 cardiologist per 13000.
Obesity has therefore been described as a ‘silent epidemic’, affecting countries still struggling with the health and economic burdens of malnutrition and infectious disease. Indeed, it’s not uncommon to find undernutrition and obesity within the same household.
By 2030, the biggest killers in Africa are set to be obesity-related illnesses such as diabetes and cardiovascular disease. It’s therefore imperative for world leaders to start addressing this looming crisis, before it spirals out of control.
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About the author
Jessy Zhang is a fourth year medical student at University of Cambridge, with interests in healthcare inequality, policy, and mental health. In her free time, she enjoys baking, reading and travelling!
References
- Lampard AM. Obesity. In: Encyclopedia of Feeding and Eating Disorders. Singapore: Springer Singapore; 2015. p. 1–5.
- The heavy burden of obesity in Africa [Internet]. Gbchealth.org. [cited 2021 May 30]. Available from: https://www.gbchealth.org/the-heavy-burden-of-obesity-in-africa/
- Gettleman J. In Kenya, and across Africa, an unexpected epidemic: Obesity. The New York times [Internet]. 2018 Jan 27 [cited 2021 May 30]; Available from: https://www.nytimes.com/2018/01/27/world/africa/kenya-obesity-diabetes.html
- Adult Obesity [Internet]. Harvard.edu. 2012 [cited 2021 May 30]. Available from: https://www.hsph.harvard.edu/obesity-prevention-source/obesity-trends/obesity-rates-worldwide/
