Obesity is a form of malnutrition and is rising amongst us

Many of us are used to seeing pictures of starving and severely malnourished African children. They are either products of war, poverty, famine or all of the above.


Recent studies show that many of Africa’s increasing middle class are now battling with obesity. Nigerians for example, use to have the mentality that being obese is an 'evidence of good living'.

It may appear so but really it is not.

A recent research  by scientists from the Robert Gordon University in Scotland, shows that while obesity remains an area of significant public health importance to Africans, particularly in urban areas, there is little evidence of proper diagnosis, treatment and/or prevention.

Africa’s emerging economies have created a growth in the middle class in several countries, especially in the urban areas. With less physical exertion needed at home or work, more money to spend and the ubiquitous influence of western media trends, the continent has inevitably joined the fast food lifestyle.

Junk foods are typically over-processed, contain a lot of sugar, salt and saturated fats. They are known to have hardly any nutritional value of any kind, but the newly available international fast food chains are considered “cool and trendy” by many members of the middle class. As a result, there has been an explosion in obesity levels around Africa.

Obesity is beyond  an increase in the waistline; it comes with a whole range of health conditions and physical challenges that put overweight people at greater risk of preventable diseases like diabetes, cancer, respiratory and cardiovascular crises like high blood pressure, stroke and heart attack.


Recent global figures from the World Health Organisation (WHO) indicate that the prevalence of obesity is not just a problem of the developed countries but is also on the increase in the developing world, with over 115 million people suffering from obesity-related problems.

This significant acceleration in the incidence of obesity also indicates that low-income countries are now confronted with a double burden where both communicable and chronic non-communicable diseases co-exist.

While the threat of communicable and poverty-related diseases (such as malaria, malnutrition, cholera and infant mortality) exists in several African countries, the prevalence of chronic diseases continues unabated.

In fact, several researchers predict that in many developing countries, the burden of chronic diseases will equal the burden of acute infectious diseases in the near future.7,13,14 For instance, the WHO projects by 2030 a doubling in mortality rates resulting from ischaemic heart disease in the African region,15 as well as a prediction by 2025 of the largest increase in prevalence of diabetes mellitus in developing countries.

Undernutrition is still a problem in Africa. Whole villages and communities are either underfed or suffer from serious hunger; many regions are just one crop failure away from a severe famine. Obesity and undernutrition are both considered as malnutrition.

Ironically, several studies show that undernutrition in the early childhood years increases the risk of developing obesity in adulthood. Experts are concerned that this may lead to an established pattern of fighting undernutrition during childhood and then obesity in the later life.

Especially in urban centres, children are now living less active lifestyles due to a number of reasons including expensive, crowded neighbourhoods with no open spaces for fields or playgrounds and concerns about security, which have led more parents to limit the time children can spend outdoors by themselves.