World Obesity Day, which falls on March 4, is taking the lead in acknowledging that the drivers of obesity and overweight are multi-faceted.
Maria van der Merwe, the president of the Association for Dietetics in South Africa, said the food system and the foods that are available are affordable and desirable.
There is a prevalence of calorie-dense but nutrient-poor foods that are accessible and affordable in certain communities, while healthy food options are scarce or much more expensive.
“Furthermore, as we go through our daily lives, we are impacted by multiple intersecting systems,” said Van der Merwe.
“So, it does not help if the nursing sister at the day clinic tells a patient to eat more vegetables and exercise if that person is living in a community where fresh vegetables are scarce and the environment is so unsafe they cannot go outside after work and take a walk in their community.”
“In this common example of multiple systemic barriers to healthy living, the food system, the environment, the healthcare system, and the government system are all failing the individual and limiting their hopes of living a healthier life.”
23% of children overweight
According to statistics, 29% of South African children under five years are stunted due to undernutrition, while 23% of children are overweight.
Sixty-nine percent of obese South African adults live in food-insecure households, which is a testimony to surviving on cheap, energy-dense but nutrient-deficient foods.
Dr Edzani Mphaphuli, the executive director at the Grow Great Campaign, disagrees.
Mphaphuli identifies eight ways that South Africans can use their consumer power to impact the systems that are compromising health and enabling high rates of overweight and obesity.
- Consumers must demand systemic change that prioritises public health over corporate profits;
- Consumers need to shift from blaming overweight and obesity on individual choices and instead demand systems that support those in need;
- Consumers must raise their voices to help every mother get financial and nutritional support during the critical first 1 000 days of their children’s lives, from conception to their second birthday, which can effectively eliminate early risk factors for obesity, which includes new mothers being unable to breastfeed exclusively for the first six months;
- Consumers must demand that food packaging features clear and straightforward nutritional labels and health warning labels like those on cigarette packages so that everyone can easily identify unhealthy and healthy food options;
- Consumers must lobby for a ban on misleading advertisements that promote ultraprocessed, unhealthy foods;
- Consumers must demand that healthy foods are made both affordable and accessible to all;
- Consumers must demand that neighborhoods are designed with safe and welcoming spaces for exercise while also advocating for improved living conditions in unsafe environments such as informal settlements, where people face daily hazards like open sewage, broken bottles, and crime while walking.
- Consumers must advocate for the creation of environments, policies, and resources that truly support healthier lives for all.
