In Africa, there is a “double burden” of malnutrition and obesity

Published on: 04/03/2024 – 09:25Modified: 04/03/2024 – 09:26

5 minutes

l'” Epidemic “progress has been made” Faster than expected », during a press conference at the end of February, according to Professor Francesco Branca, Director for Nutrition of the Department of Health and Development of the WHO. According to Professor Majid Ezzati of Imperial College London, one of the lead authors of the study conducted by the British Medical Journal, crossing the threshold of one billion people affected was initially envisaged around 2030. The Lancet in Collaboration with WHO.

According to this large study, between 1990 and 2022, obesity rates in the population quadrupled in children and adolescents and doubled in adults. A rate that nearly tripled in men and doubled in women. Even more alarmingly, the disease will affect nearly 160 million children and adolescents in 2022 (94 million boys and 65 million girls). About 30 years ago, there were 31 million.

” Double burden »

And according to this study, obesity rates are now higher in some low- and middle-income countries than in many industrialized countries, particularly in Europe. Not eating enough, but eating badly: Many low- and middle-income countries are experiencing “ Double burden » Malnutrition and obesity, especially in Africa. While one part of their population still does not have access to an adequate number of calories, another part no longer has this problem but their diet is of poor quality.

In 2022, a WHO study warned of this. Time explosive » For public health, attention was drawn to ten countries particularly affected, most of which are in southern Africa: Botswana, Eswatini, Lesotho, Mauritius, Namibia, Seychelles and South Africa. Also, further north: Gabon, Mauritania and Algeria, which hold the record for the number of obese people on the continent.

In 2021, FAO indicated that in Gabon, while 18% of children under 5 suffer from chronic malnutrition, 40% of adults are overweight. ” I have gained a lot of weight in ten years, On the microphone of our correspondent in Libreville, 30-year-old Ruth, who leaves the office, testifies, Yves-Laurent Goma. I think I almost doubled my weight. I have gone from 52 kg to about 105 kg today. I’ve never been to a doctor, but I know I have a weight problem. »

If Ruth, a diabetologist and specialist in non-communicable diseases in Gabon, is not particularly concerned, Dr Eric Bey is particularly concerned about the consequences of obesity in children. According to a 2022 study by UNICEF and the Ministry of Health, 35% of students in Gabon’s major cities suffer from obesity. ” We are very concerned about the prevalence of obesity in schools, particularly in large cities where we are seeing severe, morbid obesity among very young people.

“, he emphasizes.

Westernized lifestyle

A complex and multifactorial chronic disease, obesity is accompanied by increased mortality due to other pathologies, cardiovascular diseases, diabetes and some cancers. The Covid-19 pandemic, where being overweight was a risk factor, was an example of this. ” Obesity will be a risk factor for many pathologies, especially high blood pressure, which is a critical problem in Africa. Collett lists Azandgem. With the procession of stroke, myocardial fracture and all other cardiovascular diseases. Obesity, along with all endocrine disruptors, is also a significant risk factor for cancer. The prevalence of cancer is increasing. It is a phenomenon that was not much known a few years ago but more and more, there are cases of cancer, especially female cancer, breast cancer, uterine cancer, cancer in men like prostate cancer and other types of cancer like childhood cancer. . Also, obesity is an important risk factor for diabetes. And there are countries with higher prevalence, especially in North Africa and South Africa. »

Obesity mainly affects residents of urban areas, although rural areas are no longer spared. Junk food and sedentary lifestyle are different. Among the reasons, Professor Colette Ezandjem, a public health and nutritionist at the Mother and Child Hospital in Cotonou, Benin, “ A nutritional transition which means that the way of life changed and became more westernized, she explains. We are moving from a diet that is more traditional European diet, energy dense. We are increasingly exposed to processed, ultra-processed foods ” At the same time, lifestyles have become more sedentary: ” There is very little physical activity to compensate, The professor comments. Over time, we lost the habit of walking a lot. There are more motorbikes, more cars. We sit in front of the television for a long time. We adopt activities that are bureaucratic: in sales, in commerce where we sit for long periods of time.

» These include lack of sleep and increased stress. A cocktail that promotes obesity.

Tax sugary drinks, subsidize healthy foods, limit the marketing of unhealthy foods to children, encourage physical activity… actions that are rarely used but which, according to the WHO, will help slow the progression of the disease.

International guestConsequences of obesity in the world: “19 diseases produced by this scourge”.