LETS TALK ABOUT WEIGHT….
Inside every overweight woman, is a woman she knows she can be ~Oprah Winfrey.
Defined by the World Health Organisation as the abnormal or excessive fat accumulation that presents a risk to health, obesity in Kenya is growing at an alarming rate. According to the Centre of Disease and Control and prevention, lifestyle disease affects 61.9% of the countries population in 2019. The lifestyle disease is higher among women of upper socioeconomic groups.
A Body Mass Index (BMI) of 30 and higher is considered obese. The higher the BMI, the greater the risk of developing additional health problems. A healthy weight is considered to be a BMI of 24 or less. A BMI of 25 to 29.9 is considered overweight.
“Measure your height, weight.” Strolling through the streets of Nairobi, weighing scales beckon pedestrians to calculate their body mass index (BMI) at a small fee. Despite this, the numbers are still growing day in day out proving to be a threat to society. Easier access to fast food, increasing screen time and motorised transport have been blamed for the escalating rates of obesity worldwide. Obesity affects different age groups and gender but it's prevalent in teenagers and women.
Teen Obesity.
“In Kenya, 8.4 per cent of children aged five to nine have been predicted to be obese by 2030 which makes 670,834 in number. For children aged 10 to 19, 5.5 per cent have been predicted to be obese by 2030 which totals to 793,121.”This is according to a report published by the World Obesity Federation (WOF)Obesity in children and young adults is linked to helicopter parenting. Most parents are absent from their kids because of work leaving them susceptible to unhealthy eating habits and lack of exercise.
Obesity in teens just like in any other groups affects their self-esteem. Fat people of all ages are ridiculed and insulted because of their weights and teens have not been scared. Parents should provide healthy meal plans for their kids, one that contains lots of fruits and vegetables. It is also recommended for parents to spearhead exercises. The chances that a kid is going to jog and keep fit because the mother does so are higher hence the need for parents to perform this role.
Obesity in Women.
One in three women in Kenya is obese, this is according to the US Centre of Disease and Contro Prevention. The lifestyle disease is higher among women of upper socioeconomic groups. According to the research, Overweight and obesity were found to be more prevalent on married women or those living with a partner. The lifestyle disease was to be lowest in single women. While more than a third of women in a marriage or union were obese, only 18 per cent of never married had a weight problem. Aside from easier access to an unhealthy diet that consist of a lot of junk food, lack of exercise, genes and motorised transport, women who are on different forms of birth control drugs are also linked to obesity. The latter has always been a myth but its the first time that birth control drugs have been actually scientifically proven to cause obesity. Forty-one per cent of women using hormonal contraceptives were obese compared to 39 per cent of those using other methods and 25 per cent using no birth control drug.
Alcohol and other alcoholic drinks were also found to have an increase in weight in women. They tend to be beautifully packaged and sweetened in order to lure the modern woman who unfortunately fall for them whilst increasing her numbers on the scale.
Unfortunately for women, most of them are pressured to lose weight fast and look a certain weight by society. A trend that has pushed women to slim teas and diets which are not only dangerous but in most cases never work. Healthy diets, intermittent fasting and exercises are the best prescriptions for anyone who’s willing to lose weight the right and healthy way.