Eating to Death

Africa’s obesity crisis continues to grow...

For years the obesity rate in Africa has been slowly simmering towards a catastrophic boiling point. The obesity crisis has gradually spread over the past twenty five years, creeping into the depths of poverty stricken countries like Africa where eating disorders had never previously existed. John Girling, GlaxoSmithKline (GSK) vice president for consumer healthcare, has admitted with regards to South Africa, that it is a nation “eating itself slowly to death”.

Recent figures published in May of this year from the World Health Organisation (WHO) showed that obesity levels are continuing to rise. The WHO’s report showed that the world’s obesity levels have almost doubled from 1980 to 2008. In Africa the WHO estimate that more than 40% - and in some regions close to 50% - of adults suffer from high blood pressure; a disease closely associated with obesity. The report sheds light on the current health crisis in Africa, however it fails to offer an examination into the reasons behind these rising figures.

It could be argued that obesity is rising because of an increased number of middle class Africans who can afford to eat unhealthy imported foods. Historically, before increased urbanisation, Africans lived in rural areas, eating what they grew. Nowadays, however, lifestyles have shifted from rural to urban, and the availability of unhealthy food has increased. Additionally, from a cultural perspective, many Africans tend to associate increased success and wealth with an increased waistline. An overweight body is viewed more positively, symbolising happiness, affluence and an alleged sign of not having HIV/Aids. A slimmer figure, on the other hand, is associated with poverty and ill health.

Studies into perceptions of body size in South Africa, show that many people who are overweight do not consider themselves in that light. A national health study on behalf of GSK by marketing consultancy Added Value, showed that 78% obese South Africans considered themselves to be healthy and 52% morbidly obese people regarded themselves as healthy. Most interestingly, a study by Caradas et al in 2001 identified a racial difference in body image perception in adolescent South African schoolgirls, noting that white students desired a slimmer figure more than black students.

The hardest task becomes changing these deep set attitudes. Many Africans still believe that obesity is not a genuine health risk and that an unhealthy lifestyle is not damaging to one’s health and propensity to develop deadly diseases. Education seems to be the key to changing attitudes and the South African Government has tapped into this, launching what is known as National Obesity Week, between 15th and 19th October this year. The Government says the week is commemorated to “increase awareness about the impact of obesity in the lives of South Africans”. This is surely a positive step in the right direction towards combating the obesity epidemic and shows that politicians have noticed a serious problem.

Will the whole of Africa follow suit by noticing the potential disaster obesity carries? It could be argued that obesity is the least of Africa’s problems, especially with the continuing spread of HIV/Aids, poverty and a lack of education for children. However, all problems have a starting point and all the major problems which face Africa today were at some point smaller issues before.