The number of young South Africanssuffering from obesity doubled in six years while this took 13 years to happen in the US, reports The Times. Local researchers from the University of KwaZulu-Natal (UKZN)‚ University of the Witwatersrand (Wits)‚ and international researchers from Denmark and England analysed the body mass index (BMI) of South African children‚ adolescents and young adults from 2008 to 2015. Your BMI is calculated by dividing your weight by your height and then dividing the answer by your height again.
The study analysed the mean BMI of 28‚247 people from 7‚301 households by age and year. The analysis did not include children under the age of five years. Researchers found there was a greater increase of obesity in low- and middle-income countries (LMIC) compared to global trends. “South Africa is undergoing rapid socioeconomic and demographic changes that have triggered a rapid nutrition transition.” ….more