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Surgeon Dr. Alexandre Lesage examines an obese patient in his office prior to surgery at the Saint Jean d’Angely Hospital, in Saint Jean d’Angley, France…
The World Obesity Federation (WOF) and its member organisations have gathered to raise awareness about obesity as a documented medical condition that should not be overlooked.
This follows World Obesity Day, which was commemorated yesterday under the theme: “Changing Systems, Healthier Lives.”
The 2023 National Food and Nutrition Security Survey revealed high obesity rates in South Africa, with 67.9% of adult women and 38.2% of adult men living with obesity.
Dietitian Adelaide Muchemedzi emphasised the importance of a strong support system in managing the condition.
Muchemedzi says, “So, obesity is defined as having an excessive amount of body fat, which can negatively impact your health. The World Health Organization also defines that as a BMI index of 30 or higher. But as we know, BMI sometimes is not always a good indicator of the health status of a person.”
“So you can find in certain situations where you can measure your total body percentage of fat to see where most of the weight is, because for some people, you’ll find that they do have a higher BMI, but it’s mainly muscle or bone density,” she adds.
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