Online Reporter
Nqobile Bhebhe, Senior Business Reporter
IN a sobering call to action, the Southern African Development Community (SADC) has raised a red flag on the escalating crisis of overweight and obesity sweeping across the region with no age group being spared.
From toddlers to teens and across all walks of life, the region is facing what SADC has dubbed a public health and economic emergency in the making. According to the Strategy and Implementation Plan on the Prevention of Overweight and Obesity (2024-2030), addressing the obesity epidemic and its far-reaching health and economic consequences for individuals, families and the region is a key priority.
According to the World Health Organisation (WHO), being overweight is defined as having a Body Mass Index (BMI) of 25 or more, while obesity kicks in at a BMI of 30.
But behind these numbers lie far greater risks — chronic diseases like type 2 diabetes, heart disease and certain cancers are all part of the heavy burden.
SADC is alarmed at how early the crisis is starting with revelations that even children under five are showing signs of obesity, a reality that paints a stark picture of how pervasive unhealthy living has become.
The 2023 SADC Landscape Analysis on Overweight and Obesity reveals that all 16 member states are grappling with this growing issue.
In adults, the prevalence of obesity ranges from 25 percent in Malawi to a staggering 55 percent in South Africa.
Among school-aged children (5-19 years), the numbers are just as startling — 12 percent in the Democratic Republic of Congo, rising to 30 percent in South Africa.
South Africa, Seychelles, Botswana, Eswatini, Namibia and Lesotho top the charts for childhood obesity. It does not stop there, even among children under five, obesity is creeping up with South Africa and Botswana reporting the highest prevalence at 12 percent, with Seychelles (nine percent), Eswatini (eight percent) and Mauritius and Lesotho not far behind at seven percent.
“In all countries, being overweight and obesity are more prevalent in girls compared to boys and have increased over the last two decades,” the report notes, signalling a worrying trend for the next generation.
But this crisis is not just a matter of health, it is fast becoming a financial ticking time bomb with a heavy price tag, SADC says.
“Obesity diminishes workforce productivity and increases absenteeism, exerting additional adverse effects on economic growth,” SADC warned.
Globally, obesity cost the world US$1,96 trillion in 2020 with that figure expected to double to US$4 trillion by 2035. In Africa, the burden could soar to US$50 billion annually by 2035, equivalent to 1,6 percent of the region’s GDP, the report notes.
“This represents an increase from GDP of 2,4 percent to 2,9 percent from 2020 to 2035,” the report explains.
In 2019 alone, Mauritius topped the list for per capita obesity-related costs at US$308, followed by Botswana (US$136) and South Africa (US$130).
On what could be driving the surge, SADC points to a familiar trio: poor diets, reduced physical activity and the effects of rapid urbanisation.
As economies develop and lifestyles modernise, traditional, nutrient-rich diets are being swapped for convenience and ultra-processed foods.
“SADC Member States are witnessing a shift from reliance on traditional foods to more modern or mixed diets. This dietary shift is marked by a rise in the consumption of ultra-processed foods, elevated energy intakes and a resulting increased prevalence of overweight and obesity.
Trade liberalisation has played its part too, transforming food environments.
“In the SADC region, for example, there has been a large increase in foreign investment in sugar and confectionery (eight percent) and the soft drink sector (4,6 percent). Studies show that over the last 30 years, there has been a dramatic increase in imports of unhealthy foods and drinks in SADC countries.
“This has led to more people having poor diets, stemming from the increasingly obesogenic food environments in which they live and subsequently resulting in increasing prevalence of overweight and obesity,” the report notes.
Cultural and socioeconomic factors are also shifting the obesity landscape.
While in the early stages of the epidemic obesity was more common among affluent urban dwellers, the trend is evolving.
“In the initial stages of the obesity epidemics in most SADC countries, higher socio-economic status and urban dwelling are associated with overweight and obesity. However, as these national epidemics evolve, a shift is anticipated, with overweight and obesity becoming more evenly distributed between urban and rural areas and between the socio-economic quintiles of the population.
“This progression is expected to be accompanied by an increasing association of overweight with lower socioeconomic status, mirroring the current patterns observed in middle- and high-income countries,” the report highlighted.
While stronger health systems and better primary health care are essential, SADC is calling for a bold, whole-of-society approach, one that brings together governments, communities, and international partners to tackle the crisis at its root. Key recommendations in the regional strategy include implementing regulations on marketing of unhealthy foods and non-alcoholic sugar sweetened beverages, enforcing fiscal policies such as taxes and subsidies to discourage unhealthy foods and encourage healthy foods respectively.
Public food procurement policies for healthy diets and school food environment regulations, including on foods and beverages provided or sold in and around schools and food advertising and sponsorship and food reformulation policies to eliminate industrial trans-fats and reduce salt and free sugars form part of the recommendations.
Another recommendation is establishing standards and regulations for active travel and physical activity in and around schools and public institutions.
