‘We have a big fat problem’
WEIGHTY NATION: OBESITY IN SOUTH AFRICA IS RISING FASTER THAN THE GLOBAL AVERAGE
Economic impact of obesity in SA estimated at roughly R700 billion per year.
Obesity can increase healthcare costs by as much as R4 400 per person per year, data from Discovery shows, but despite the direct correlation between weight and health outcomes, obesity in South Africa is rising faster than the global average.
Speaking at the release of the Vitality ObeCity Index 2017, Dr Craig Nossel, head of Vitality Wellness, said while communicable diseases historically played a very significant role in SA, the country was experiencing a shift.
Lifestyle diseases were increasingly having a more meaningful impact on SA’s healthcare system and the burden of disease.
Although the direct healthcare cost of obesity is often highlighted, there were also indirect costs to consider. The economic impact of obesity in SA was estimated to be roughly R700 billion per annum.
Approximately 30% of the global population – more than 2.1 billion people – are overweight or obese. If the growth rate continues at its current rate, almost half the world’s adult population will fall into this category by 2030.
“I don’t think anyone will disagree that we really do have a big fat problem,” he said.
While obesity is a multifaceted issue, one of the most important causes of the epidemic are changes in diets, including an increase in the consumption of sugar, salt, fat and processed foods.
According to the 2016 Global Burden of Disease Study, dietary risk factors and physical inactivity are associated with 11.7 million deaths globally. “We are killing ourselves,” Nossel said.
The ObeCity Index shows that while Cape Town had the best weight status score, with 53.5% of Capetonians having a normal weight status, it fared only marginally better than its counterparts, and significant strides still have to be made to reach a healthy weight status in the country’s major cities. Port Elizabeth came last – with 48.8% of people having a normal weight status.
Nossel said most people wanted to be healthy, but are presented with various challenges. One of these is low-cost convenience food.
He stressed that it is important to understand behavioural economics – how people make decisions – in order to shift behaviour in the right direction. Incentives play a critical role in this regard. Its data showed that people were increasing their ratio of healthy food purchased by close to 10% where they received 25% of their money back for making healthier choices.
But tackling the challenges of obesity is not only one individual’s responsibility nor that of government, Helen Kean, senior Econex economist said. All stakeholders must play a role, including manufacturers, retailers, consumers, doctors and regulators.