Obesity, diabetes and hypertension are a major problem in Grahamstown and account for many unnecessary deaths, according to local health authorities.
Obesity, diabetes and hypertension are a major problem in Grahamstown and account for many unnecessary deaths, according to local health authorities.
Khanyisa Xotyeni, who manages the outpatient department at Settlers Hospital, says approximately one third of their patients suffer from these chronic diseases. Rhodes pharmacy professor Sunitha Srinivas says the diseases pose a serious threat to low income areas such as the Eastern Cape and should be given more attention at local and global levels. "These diseases are very dangerous and cause a lot of unneccesary deaths. We need to bring them to people’s attention because in most cases they can be prevented."
According to the World Health Organisation (WHO), rates of obesity have tripled in developing countries in the past 20 years, largely due to the spread of western lifestyle habits which include decreased physical activity and overconsumption of processed foods.
Srinivas says this increase is unexpected: "If people are poor you don’t expect them to be overweight and to suffer from obesity and diabetes. But there are reasons for this which are related to global capitalism and the spread of multinational corporations.
"There has been a general trend toward the establishment of multinational corporations (MNC’s) in developing countries, with the rise of MNC’s such as MacDonald’s and KFC becoming prevalent in third world states. A person who can’t afford three meals a day will save up to buy a ‘good’ meal from a fast food outlet which is essentially filled with salt, fat and sugar," she says.
The problem is not just a medical one, says Srinivas, as socio-economic factors play a crucial role in people’s lifestyles and choices of food. "To fill the hole in their tummies people buy food that is high in starch. When people are illiterate and low earning, how can we expect them to make careful choices about what to eat? These are people who have no economic power and information to make the best choice, and you can’t blame them for this."
Xotyeni also blames poverty: "Healthy food is expensive and most people can’t afford it. Most of the time we eat junk food because its cheaper and this causes big health problems."
According to the WHO, between 10% and 25% of children are overweight or obese. Srinivas says the hype created around fast food is contributing to bad eating habits on a global scale. “The glamour that surrounds fast food has increased thanks to advertising while the value we give to traditional food has decreased.”
The WHO also reports that chronic diseases accounted for 35 million, or 60%, of the estimated 58 million deaths in 2005 – double the amount of deaths caused by all infectious diseases (including HIV/AIDS, malaria and tuberculosis), nutritional deficiencies and complications arising from childbirth. And 80% of these chronic disease deaths occurred in low-income areas.
Chronic diseases also have dire consequences for the economic productivity of developing countries. Srinivas says that while HIV/AIDS is the biggest health risk for people aged 15 to 24 in developing countries, those affected by chronic diseases fall into the 30 to 69 age group, which means that they are less active at a time when they should be at their most economically productive. "In the end this problem comes doewn to education. People need to be educated on health-related issues because at the end of the day death from these diseases is entirely preventable," she said.
