Obesity in Uganda

Obesity is a condition in which excess body fat has a detrimental effect on health. People are considered obese when their body mass index (BMI) exceeds 30 kg per square meter. Those with a BMI range of 25-30 kg/m² are considered to be overweight. Obesity makes it more likely the person will develop diseases like (see Wikipedia):

Heart disease
High blood pressure
Type 2 diabetes
Obstructive sleep apnea
Certain types of cancer
Osteoarthritis

Obesity is commonly caused by excessive consumption of food and sedentary lifestyle though some people are genetically susceptible to obesity. Obesity is the leading cause of preventable death worldwide.

A study Population-based survey of overweight and obesity and the associated factors in peri-urban and rural Eastern Uganda found that 17.8% of Ugandans were overweight which comprises 12.4% men and 23.1% women. Further 7% of Ugandans were obese comprising of 2.0% men and 12.7% women. Over all rural dwellers were inclined to have less over weight and obesity comprising 15.8% over weight and 3.9% obese. Whilst urban dwellers were significantly heavier comprising 23.8% overweight and and 17.8% obese. This means that 1 in 8 Ugandan women are obese and almost 1 in 5 city dwellers are obese. World Health Organisation statistics show that obesity is increasing (see Search Results World Health Organisation Database).

Based on the 2014 estimated Number of Persons With Disabilities (PWDs) in Uganda and using the 7% figure of obesity for Ugandans it is estimated that that there are 393,750 obese PWDs in Uganda.

This report from 2011, African Obesity An Underestimated “Silent Killer”, sums up the problems of obesity:

A troubling paradox reported out of Africa presents a new “silent killer” to join the ranks of HIV/AIDS, malnutrition, malaria, and river blindness: obesity. So says Boston Globe columnist Derrick Jackson, writing Tuesday that from Uganda:

HEADLINES in the June 8 New Vision newspaper warned, “We are eating our way to the grave’’ and “Obesity rising in rural areas.’’ A third of women in urban Kampala and a quarter of the women in more rural central and southwestern Uganda are overweight or obese, according to 2007 government statistics. It is a major paradox since 50 percent of children in southwestern Uganda are malnourished.

Jackson then goes on to quote the chief of the Uganda Heart Institute, John Omagino, as predicting heart disease to become the state’s highest killer by 2020, fueled by the rationale that, “Many men still look at a potbelly as a badge of pride and success.”
According to Foreign Policy’s Elizabeth Dickinson, though, Africa’s obesity paradox is not all that surprising:

This does not come as a surprise to me. Go to the prominent markets in cities, or take a drive through the richer neighborhoods in Nigeria, Cameroon, or even Liberia for that matter, and obesity is visible — if not as prevelant as in the United States, for example. There are no real reliable statistics on obesity in Africa yet (check out how nearly the whole continent lacks data here) but there is a general consensus that the epidemic is growing — at least among the wealthier.

Dickinson then goes on to discuss the point made by Omagino that girth desirable in most African societies because it is indicative of wealth and success.
Africa’s obesity problem was previously reported in 2006 by the Associated Press, who cited the following stats and prediction from the World Health Organization:

More than one-third of African women and a quarter of African men are estimated to be overweight, and the World Health Organization predicts that will rise to 41 percent and 30 percent respectively in the next 10 years.

This snippet from 2015, MPs Fight Obesity, gave me a chance to smile, it also has a serious message:

The Senior Medical Officer of Parliament, Dr. Fred Bawulira Kapaata encouraged the Members of Parliament and staff to eat lots of fruits, vegetables and also engage in physical exercises to avoid developing lifestyle related diseases like diabetes and hypertension.
He added that when one is an adult, the body stops growing vertically and starts growing horizontally and as such it is very important to be conscious when choosing what to eat.
“One does not need to store for the future, eat only what the body needs at a time,” Dr. Kapaata stressed.

In summary, obesity is the leading cause of preventable death worldwide. Obesity figures are rising in all over the world and Uganda is no exception. With an estimated 393,750 obese PWDs in 2014, the PWDs of Uganda will soon have to face another challenge.

For more information about losing weight visit Lose it Africa.