WHO on obesity in Botswana

Mbongeni Mguni | Friday June 6, 2014 15:39

Mmegi: In your experience, are obesity and overweight an issue in Botswana? Gaborone: Yes overweight and obesity are a major issue in Botswana.

Mmegi: To what extent would you describe them as a health emergency or concern?

Gaborone: They are a major public health problem as they contribute to the country’s growing problem of non-communicable diseases such as heart disease, stroke, diabetes and breathing problems for children.

Mmegi: What are the underlying causes of obesity and overweight trends in Botswana?

Gaborone: The underlying causes are essentially unhealthy diets high in fat and sugar and lack of physical activity.

Mmegi: What is your advice to individuals, parents, schools and even government on tackling obesity and overweight?

Gaborone: At individual level the advice is i) to limit intake of food with high fat and sugar content ii) eat more fruits and vegetables iii) do regular physical activity e.g cumulative 50 minutes of activity per day for children including playing and at least 75-150 cumulative minutes of largely aerobic activity throughout the week for adults.

Three hundred additional cumulative minutes through moderate aerobic activity is recommended for increased health benefits for adults. This could be walking, sport, gym, games, running, cycling, gardening or some physical chores in the home.

Parents should ensure that they allow children to play and they should provide healthy food with low fat and sugar. Parents must socialise children into eating healthy by minding what they put in the school pack (mopako) for instance.

Schools should allow children to play/run around more during breaks, physical activity lessons and extra curricula activities. They should ensure every child/learner has an equal chance of accumulating 50 minutes of moderate to vigorous activity/play a day.

Government should strengthen health promoting and health protecting services and actions across all sectors.