High overweight and obesity rates require intervention: Health dept

South Africa's high overweight and obesity rates require interventions from all sectors of society as government sounds the alarm on health consequences.

It is estimated 68% of women and 31% of men are either overweight or obese while 13% of children under the age of five are overweight, according to a 2016 national survey.

National health department spokesperson Foster Mohale said at least 41% of women are obese, with 20% falling in the severe obesity category.

"In contrast, only 11% of men are obese. The prevalence of obesity among women rose from 27% in 1998 to 41% in 2016. There was very little change in obesity among men, with only a 2% increase during the same period,” he said.

According to the World Health Organisation, obesity has reached epidemic proportions globally, claiming at least 2.8-million lives annually. It said one in eight people in the world were living with obesity in 2022.

South Africa is joining the global community to mark World Obesity Day to raise awareness and improve an understanding of obesity's root causes and actions needed to address them and tackle associated stigma.

Mohale said the worrying figures underscore the need for effective prevention interventions to address obesity, promote healthier lifestyles and set nutrition standards for food and beverages provided in places such as early childhood development centres, schools, community nutrition development centres and feeding programmes.

“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 the biggest threats to health and development among populations. Women with obesity are at increased risk of miscarriage, pre-eclampsia and induced labour, and are less likely to initiate breastfeeding. Obese men are at a higher risk of developing cancers of the colon and rectum and erection dysfunction,” Mohale said.

He said the words obesity and overweight are often confused and used interchangeably.

“However, these are two related health conditions with slightly different meanings,” he said.

According to Mohale, 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 a BMI greater than or equal to 30.

“Evidence shows interventions, such as improved diet and physical activity, introduced to tackle obesity have potential benefits to reduce the incidence of NCDs and their burden on healthcare spending, individuals and their families. The department of health urges people to engage in regular physical activity, drink lots of water, serve the correct amounts of food to avoid overeating, limit consumption of foods and drinks high in sugar, salt and fat, and snack on fresh vegetables and fruits instead of salty snacks and  sugary treats.” Mohale said.

While many people exercise daily to keep fit and healthy, he said 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 as long as you don’t make healthier food choices, physical activities will do less to reduce obesity."

The department has urged employers to support government efforts and other stakeholders by creating healthy and productive working environments for employees as part of health and wellness programmes.

“This includes establishing wellness centres and serving healthier food menus in their canteens.”

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