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The World Health Organisation has released a grim alert on World Obesity Day, March 4.

The health organisation declared obesity and overweight as a global epidemic claiming at least 2.8 million lives annually and ranked South Africa among the nations with the highest levels of this prevalent and easily-avoidable disease.

Since 1 in 8 people in the world were living with obesity in 2022, World Obesity Day is meant to raise awareness and improve understanding of obesity’s root causes as well as the possible actions needed to address them and tackle associated stigma.

The rise in obesity levels poses a significant challenge to public health on a global scale.

These worrying figures underscore the need for effective prevention interventions, stated WHO, emphasising the need to promote healthier lifestyles and set nutrition standards across various settings, from schools to community nutrition centres.

According to the 2016 national survey, 68% of women and 31% of men have either overweight or obesity, while 13% of children under the age of 5 are overweight.

Obesity among women has particularly surged over the years:

In terms of obesity, at least 41% of women have obesity with 20% of them falling in the severe obesity category. In contrast, only 11% of men have obesity. The prevalence of obesity among women rose from 27% in 1998 to 41% in 2016. There was very little change in obesity amongst men with only 2% increase during the same period.

The increased prevalence of overweight and obesity among people contributes to the onset of Non-Communicable Diseases (NCDs) such as type 2 diabetes, cardiovascular diseases, hypertension and cancer, which are currently the biggest threats to health and development among populations.

Women with obesity are at increased risk of miscarriage, pre-eclampsia, and induced labour, while also being less likely to initiate breastfeeding. On the other hand, obese men are at a higher risk of developing cancers of the colon, rectum and erection dysfunction.

Misconceptions between obesity and overweight persist, highlighting the importance of education on these conditions. Overweight is when a body mass index (a value derived from the mass and height of a person) is greater than or equal to 25, whereas obesity is when a BMI is greater than or equal to 30.

Evidence shows that interventions (such as improved diet and physical activity) introduced to tackle obesity have the potential benefits to reduce the incidence of NCDs and its burden on healthcare spending, individuals and their families, hence the Department of Health urges people to engage in regular physical activity, drink lots of water, serve the correct amount of food to avoid overeating, limit consumption of foods and drinks high in sugar, salt and fat, snack with fresh vegetables and fruits instead of salty snacks or sugary treats.

Many people exercise day and night to keep fit and healthy, but it is important to know the 80/20 rule for weight loss, which emphasises that nutrition contributes 80% and routine exercise contributes only 20% when it comes to losing weight. This means, that as long as you don’t make healthier food choices, physical activities will do less to reduce obesity.

[source:sagov]