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Malnutrition includes all forms of nutritional deficiencies (wasting, stunting, underweight), vitamin and mineral deficiencies, overweight, and obesity.

Over the past three decades, South Africa has experienced a nutritional transition characterized by the triple whammy of malnutrition. Households simultaneously experience undernutrition, hidden hunger, and overweight or obesity due to nutritionally deficient diets.

The National Food and Nutrition Security Survey, the first detailed national survey on food and nutrition since 1994, found that almost half of South Africa’s adult population is overweight or obese.

Even though there was enough food to feed everyone through domestic production and imports, many families and individuals went to bed hungry.

Due to high unemployment rates, families relied on social subsidies to purchase basic food items. Many people tended to buy less nutritious food to avoid starvation.

The study was carried out by the Human Sciences Research Council and commissioned by the Department of Agriculture, Land Reform and Rural Development to map hunger and malnutrition hotspots in the country.

Data was collected for more than 34,500 households from 2021 to 2023. Nearly 100 metrics were used to create the report.

Overweight or Obese: What’s the Difference?

Carrying excess weight poses many health risks. Increased risk of high blood pressure, high triglyceride levels, coronary heart disease, stroke, type 2 diabetes, osteoarthritis, sleep apnea, and respiratory disease.

People are overweight if their BMI, a measure of body fat based on height and weight, is above 25.

Obese adults have a BMI of over 30.

important facts

Some of the key findings include:

  • Sixty-nine percent of obese adults lived in food-insecure households where families had few food options and were forced to eat foods with low nutritional value.

  • More than two-thirds (67.9%) of the women were overweight or obese. The incidence of obesity was higher in women than in men.

  • Adults aged 35 to 64 years had significantly higher obesity prevalence than younger age groups. This may be explained by metabolic differences and the fact that young people are more active than adults.

  • KwaZulu-Natal reported a higher prevalence of obesity (39.4%) compared to other provinces. Further research is needed to investigate this finding and whether there are cultural factors behind it.

The survey period coincided with the end of the novel coronavirus pandemic. Focus group discussions were held in all districts where data were collected to assess the impact of the pandemic.

The study found that the government’s rapid response through various relief programs significantly reduced families’ exposure to extreme poverty and food insecurity during this period.

Advance

Obesity is a global problem. A new study published in The Lancet shows that more than 1 billion people worldwide will be obese by 2022.

Globally, obesity has more than doubled in adults since 1990 and quadrupled in children and adolescents (ages 5 to 19).

The Human Sciences Research Council has made the following recommendations to address malnutrition in South Africa.

  • Focus on areas with high levels of malnutrition

  • Encourage families to produce their own food to supplement social subsidies

  • Invest in food banks in fruit and vegetable markets strategically located near vulnerable households.

  • Helping extremely poor households survive seasonal hunger

  • Launch a campaign to educate the public about the benefits of consuming nutritious foods and dietary diversity.



Read more: Study finds shocking rise in obesity levels in urban Africa over the past 25 years


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