Almost 50% of adults are obese

Results of the first in-depth, nationwide study into food and nutrition since 1994, the National Food and Nutrition Security Survey, found almost half of SA’s adult population was overweight or obese.

Malnutrition in all its forms includes undernutrition, inadequate vitamins or minerals and obesity. South Africa has undergone a nutritional transition over the past 30 years characterised by the triple burden of malnutrition – undernutrition, hidden hunger and obesity due to nutrient-poor diets.

While there was sufficient food to feed everyone through domestic production and imports, many families and individuals went to bed on empty stomachs.

Due to high unemployment figures, families relied on social grants to buy basic food items. Many bought food with little nutritional value to avoid hunger.

The survey, conducted by the Human Sciences Research Council (HSRC), was commissioned by the department of agriculture, land reform and rural development to map hunger and malnutrition hotspots in the country.

Data was collected from over 34 500 households between 2021 and last year.

Some of the significant findings were:

69% of obese adults lived in food-insecure households where families had little dietary choices and were forced to eat food with little nutritional value; More than two-thirds (67.9%) of females were overweight or obese;

Adults aged 35-64 had a greater prevalence of obesity than younger groups; and KwaZulu-Natal had a higher prevalence of obesity (39.4%), compared to other provinces.

Simelane is a professor of practice at the HSRC. This article is republished from The Conversation