The surprising increase in obesity in Africa has been compared to the HIV epidemic, with stigma and lack of treatment having disproportionate effects on women.
Almost half of African women will be obese or overweight by the end of the decade. Recent research By the World Obesity Federation.
People in rich countries have slimmerly adopted the use of weight loss jabs, but there is little confidence that in the near future, groundbreaking medicines will be available in sub-Saharan Africa.
Treatment of hosts with obesity-associated diseases such as diabetes, heart disease, and hypertension can also be difficult to access.
Specializing in obesity and non-communicable diseases (NCDS), Dr. Nomatenba Chandiwana is Chief Science Officer of the Desmond Chuchu Health Foundation in South Africa.
“Obese feels like HIV, but it's more compressed,” she said. “We have a disease that we don't understand well, it's there, we don't have much about it. The medicine is there, but it's not available. Stigma is also a problem. So we can make many similarities.”
In another similarity between conditions on the African continent, women are More likely From men who contract HIV. 25% of African men are overweight or obese, but for women the figure is 40%. In most other world regions, the gaps are much smaller or reversed.
And the trend is accelerating. 45% of African women will be overweight or obese by 2030, while 26% of men will be overweight. World Obesity Atlas.
Chandiwana said the question of why obesity is rising faster among African women is complicated and involves multiple cross-factors.
“Urbanization and lifestyle shifts play a major role. Many African cities lack safe spaces for physical activityand long working hours, nursing responsibilities, safety concerns, etc. make moving more difficult for women. Unlike men who engage in physical activities in their occupation or leisure time, women's everyday lives are becoming more sedentary,” she said.
“We'll add another layer of HIV and antiretroviral therapy (ART). In high HIV burning environments like South Africa, art-related weight gain, particularly with drugs such as Drutogravir, is disproportionately affecting women and is becoming more prominent.”
Biological factors such as reproductive health, menopause, craving, metabolism, genetics and hormonal differences are additional factors, she said.
“It will definitely get worse as ultra-processed foods are more ubiquitous, climate change is increasing, [because of] Gender inequality,” Chandiwana said. Women face more barriers to activities such as exercise due to other commitments. “Prevention and treatment that specifically targets South African women are needed.”
Already, two-thirds of South African women are overweight or obese, the second highest percentage on the continent after Esvatini.
Fees for women can be warning signs. Research suggests The experience of increasing obesity in a country usually starts at higher levels in women and high-income groups before spreading to the population.
Chandiwana said she is excited by the potential of a new generation of anti-obesity drugs called GLP-1 receptor agonists such as Wegovy and Mounjaro. Oprah Winfrey and Boris Johnson.
She said that just before the Trump administration freezes most research spending, she was trying to get funding for the first trial of semaglutide in women with HIV.
“I think these drugs are game-changers and justify obesity as a chronic illness,” she said. “Without treatment, people always see it as a personal failure. It's you, you haven't done enough. But when you get treatment, we have more in our toolbox.”
After the newsletter promotion
There's the “fairness issue” she said, where patients' access to the new “best in class drugs” depends on where they live in the world. She said diabetics in South Africa must return to using insulin in glass vials rather than a more modern alternative to measured doses of pen.
“It doesn't matter where you are. There are medicines that will help you with your illness. We have to try everything we can to get access to people,” Chandiwana said.
Johanna Ralston, CEO of the World Obesity Federation, said that cultural norms and expectations regarding obesity in some African countries could play a role in making women more vulnerable to obesity. “Like many Caribbean and Middle Eastern countries, it is culturally acceptable and in some cases desirable for women to be overweight.”
Ralston said:
Brendachi Tindi from Zambia NCD Alliance She agreed that cultural attitudes towards obesity are obstacles to addressing the state of her country.
“Obesity is a huge challenge in Zambia because we don't take it seriously. Most of the time, when you're obese, you eat a lot without knowing it's sick,” she said.
Chitindi, a conference for NCD supporters last month at the NCD Alliance Global Forum, said: [food] The industry has now brought these fast foods to the country. If many people are attracted and ignore the local food we have… they rush to these fast foods, without letting them know that “we're often off, eating well”, and without knowing that they contribute to obesity.
“The government is looking at the revenues it can get from this industry. This is also a huge challenge.”
The latest Edition The Atlas of Obesity around the World has evaluated the country's “preparation” to address obesity by examining factors such as the ability to treat NCDs, policies for prevention such as taxes on sweet drinks, and restrictions on the sale of unhealthy foods to children.
These were lacking in many countries, the authors of the report found. However, they warned that a reduction in the number of overweight or obese adults would require “dramatic policy interventions.”
