Obesity: The place of Continental-wide response system to avert in Africa’s population crises
Health challenges in Africa have continued to attract global concern. Nigeria in the demographic representation of the continent remain of central concern as the most populous African Country, accommodating over 220million of the continent’s 1.3billion population. Hence, any meaningful discussion of the health demography of the continent would bear strong relevance to Nigeria in the analytical representation of the weight of the Country’s population.
While the subject of health crises in the continent is one deep seated discourse, bearing wings of elaborate concerns, response to the clusters of challenges have been much more found to be resounding with cases of epidemic, while several other defects demanding keen attention only superficially attract the needed intervention to keep a healthy population. This is of particular concern to health problems which in their nature could easily be addressed by profound enlightenment, sensitisation and robust engagement with the civic end of human population. One case of concern among several of these challenges which are preventable if managed with proper care is obesity.
While many would consider the defect as a mild tolerable challenge, it has been established how its deep seated ravages can affect a population and prevent such from been grossly productive as expected.
According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), Obesity “is a complex health issue resulting from a combination of causes and individual factors such as behaviour and genetics. Behaviours can include physical activity, inactivity, dietary patterns, medication use, and other exposures. Additional contributing factors include the food and physical activity environment, education and skills, and food marketing and promotion. Obesity is serious because it is associated with poorer mental health outcomes and reduced quality of life. Obesity is also associated with the leading causes of death in the United States and worldwide, including diabetes, heart disease, stroke, and some types of cancer. Behaviour Healthy behaviours include regular physical activity and healthy eating. Balancing the number of calories consumed from foods and beverages with the number of calories the body uses for activity plays a role in preventing excess weight gain. The Physical Activity Guidelines for Americans recommends adults do at least 150 minutes a week of moderate intensity activity such as brisk walking. In addition, adults need to do activities that strengthen muscles at least 2 days a week. A healthy diet pattern follows the Dietary Guidelines for Americans which emphasizes.”
Eating whole grains, fruits, vegetables, lean protein, low-fat and fat-free dairy products, and drinking water, have been identified as some of the dietary measures to addressing the challenge. According to CDC, a pattern of healthy eating and regular physical activity is also important for long-term health benefits and prevention of chronic diseases such as type 2 diabetes and heart disease.
As part of the reflections in marking this year’s World Obesity Day, themed, “Everybody Needs to Act,” the World Health Organisation (WHO) on Thursday, March 03, 2023, warned that Africa is facing a growing problem of obesity and overweight, as its analysis showed that one in five adults and one in 10 children and teenagers are projected to be obese by December 2023 in 10 high-burden African countries if no robust measures are taken to reverse the trends. The WHO analysis found that the prevalence of obesity among adults in the 10 high-burden countries will range from 13.6 percent to 31 percent, while in children and adolescents it will range from 5 percent to 16.5 percent. It found that Africa also faces a growing problem of overweight in children. “In 2019, the continent was home to 24 percent of the world’s overweight children aged under five,” the report noted. The report further warned that being obese or overweight raises the risk of suffering cardiovascular diseases, diabetes, muscle and skeletal disorders as well some types of cancer.
Overweight has been associated with severe disease and the need for hospitalization with COVID-19. While no data is available yet for Africa, a study published by the Journal of Infection and Public Health found that of the 2.5 million COVID-19 deaths reported globally by the end of February 2021, 2.2 million were in countries where more than half the population is classified as overweight.
“Among children, being overweight is associated with a higher chance of obesity, premature death and disability in adulthood. Lowering the risk of overweight and obesity includes adopting a healthy diet such as reducing the number of calories consumed in fats and sugars, undertaking regular physical activity as well as government policies that help people opt for healthier lifestyles and diets, for instance, by ensuring that healthy foods are accessible and affordable,” WHO report stated.
WHO Regional Director for Africa, Dr. Matshidiso Moeti described Africa’s case as a ticking time bomb. “If unchecked, millions of people, including children, risk living shorter lives under the burden of poor health,” she warned. According to her, the obesity crisis can be resolved because many of the causes of obesity and overweight are preventable and reversible. Moeti explained that dietary habits such as consuming energy-dense foods, sedentary lifestyles or lack of physical activity associated with rising urbanisation or changing modes of transport in many countries are significant drivers of obesity. “Lack of strong policies in key sectors including health, agriculture, urban planning and environment to support healthier lifestyles also contributes to growing obesity and overweight in many countries,” it was observed.
To combat obesity and overweight, WHO recommended a range of priority measures including government regulations such as mandatory limits on food sugar content, fiscal policies, for example, taxing sugar-sweetened beverages, food marketing regulations such as obligatory nutrient declaration by manufacturers, promoting healthier foods for older infants and young children, creating facilities for safe, active transport and recreation as well as reinforcing public health services.
Obesity has been linked to socio-economic hazards as severe as all-causes of death (mortality), and acute health challenges as High blood pressure (hypertension), High LDL cholesterol, low HDL cholesterol, or high levels of triglycerides (Dyslipidemia), Type2 diabetes, Coronary heart disease
Stroke, Gallbladder disease, Osteoarthritis (a breakdown of cartilage and bone within a joint), Sleep apnea and breathing problems. Also, studies have shown its relative cause to many types of cancers, Low quality of life, Mental illness such as clinical depression, anxiety, and other mental disorders; Body pain and difficulty with physical functioning. All the above health hazards that obesity brew are no ignorable risks. In their reflective dangers, they pose severe threats to the socio-economic fabrics of any country.
As Africa has been noted to be on a red list of obesity, it only behooves the authorities of individual nation in the continent to rise to the task of broad enlightenment and sensitisation to bring their citizens to the edge of caution, with conscious reconditioning of living habits which would foreclose the threats that such challenges have been projected to pose.
The need for governments of African nations to become proactive and lively to address seemingly appearing soft matters, but which subtly pose ravaging impacts on societal fabrics is sacrosanct. The reactive posture of addressing matters by trivialising their impacts until a blast explodes, is one bad posture which in clusters have compounded with debilitating force to hold good governance and appreciable condition of living to reason in the Continent. Nigeria is a case of topmost concern, owing to its perceived leadership role in the continent. It has become of necessity for the Country to assume the role with exemplary firmness in matters of good governance and liveliness to civic welfare.
A huge population largely challenged by deficiencies such as noted with clusters of impacts, as those associated with obesity, becomes a burden against prospects of socio-economic strength for development. Giving close attention to the identified recommendations to foreclose the negative projections is paramount. A continental response under the African Union (AU) architecture, among other regional frameworks, would not be out of place to have concerted system of proactive measures to avert the speculated challenges.
