IFPRI’s Weekly Media Wrap Up (01/20- 01/16) features an article published in the New York Times, dated January 27, 2018, which finds that obesity rates in sub-Saharan Africa are shooting up faster than elsewhere in the world, and causing a public health crisis.
The article titled, In Kenya, and Across Africa, an Unexpected Epidemic: Obesity, infers that obesity and malnutrition go hand in hand – for instance, people who did not get enough nutrients when they were young are more prone to putting on weight when lots of food is available; or that with more Africans adopting imported junk foods, the propensity of obesity is on the rise.
Concurrently, public health systems in Africa are not well prepared to treat obesity induced diseases - historically, the systems have been so focused on contagious diseases like AIDS, malaria, tuberculosis and tropical fevers, that few resources are left for noncommunicable ailments.
To read the original article click here