Lifestyle

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Experts attribute increasing cases of obesity in Nigeria to overeating and lack of exercise

|  By Chinwe Okafor  |  Jul. 29, 2013 @ 01:00 GMT

FOLAKE Adeboye watched embarrassingly as Mayowa, her son, tried with obvious difficulty to play with his peers. A group of boys, about six of them, swarmed excitedly around a slide making hasty steps up the ladder and screaming excitedly as they slid down. Then it was Mayowa’s turn, the plastic slide shook dangerously as he made clumsy steps up the ladder. Then he reached the top, swung his legs over with much difficulty and let himself go.

Adeboye said, I almost thought my son made it until I heard a loud crack, my worst fear had been relieved, the slide gave in somewhere at the bottom as some part of it broke off. With tears running down his cheeks, Mayowa went over to his mother, followed by jeers from his peers. At the age of nine, Mayowa weighed 70kg and his waist was 30 inches thick.

Before the turn of the century, obese children were mostly seen in foreign films. Then, parents on this side of the divide, wondered what on earth they ate that made them to grow bigger than their age. Not so anymore, as Nigerian children seem to be outpacing their international peers in obesity. It’s common to see a nine-year-old girl with secondary characteristics that are better suited to a teenage female body. The boys are not spared, what with the oversized breasts and buttocks that wriggle to and fro in extra-large clothes.

Parents are ignorant of the characteristics and health implications of obesity; many parents see their child’s growth as a sign of affluence. As such, they continue to pile on the kids more foods and drinks mostly the wrong stuffs, which are the cause of the enlargement of their bodies. Such foods include, chocolate drinks, cheese balls, fast foods, junks and starchy foods. Many parents are ignorant of the characteristics and health implications of obesity, and, as a result, they see their child’s growth as a sign of affluence. Consequently, they continue to pile more foods and drinks on the kids and these results to unintended consequences.

Obesity is a serious public health issue that governments and parents should worry about and guide against. Though the problem is global, it is steadily affecting many low- and middle-income countries, particularly in urban settings. It’s not usually seen in countries where food is scarce and it is very rare for obesity to result from a cause other than overeating. The fact is that most people who are obese got that way from eating too much.

Overweight and obesity prevalence is reported to be increasing tremendously in developing countries. According to the World Health Organization, the prevalence of obesity has increased at an alarming rate; estimates show that at least one billion people are overweight, and that three hundred million of them are obese. The number of overweight children under the age of five is estimated to be over 42 million and close to 35 million of these children are living in developing countries. Among the adult population, reports also show that, at least 2.8 million people die each year as a result of being overweight or obese.  People who are obese are usually exposed to snacks that are high in fat and sugar. Most often, they eat lunch that lack fruits, vegetables and dairy products like egg and milk. Some of the snacks, such as cheese balls, are high in sodium and low in fibre.

Uche Madueke, a nutritionist with the Kogi State, general hospital said obesity can be caused by increased consumption of highly calorific foods without an equal increase in physical activity. This leads to an unhealthy increase in weight. According to her, decreased levels of physical activity will also result in an energy imbalance which could lead to weight gain. In general, excess food intake is primarily responsible for incidence of obesity.

“Children or young adults who are overweight or obese can develop health problems during childhood because of their weight. The health problems include type 2 diabetes, high blood pressure, fatty liver disease, gallstones and signs of heart disease. A child who is overweight or obese also has an increased risk of joint problems such as going through puberty early, breathing problems and developing iron and vitamin D deficiency. Being overweight or obese as a child or teenager can also have psychological effects for some. It can lead to low self-esteem and a lack of confidence. A child may be subject to bullying because of his weight. He may become withdrawn and avoid social contact. It may lead to low mood and, in severe cases, depression,” she said.

Madueke said that being overweight or obese does run in families. It is thought that 5 out of 10 children who have one parent who is obese will become obese themselves. And 8 out of 10 children who have two parents who are obese will also become obese themselves. This could be attributed to learning bad eating habits from parents, but, some people actually inherit a tendency that makes them prone to overeating in their genes. It is not fully understood how this genetic factor works but experts say it has something to do with the control of appetite. When a person eats, certain hormones and brain chemicals send messages to parts of his brain to say that you have had enough and stop eating. In some people, this control of appetite and the feeling of fullness may be faulty, or not as good as it is in others.

Mopelola Omoegun, professor of Guidance and Counselling at the University of Lagos, said that for most children of school age in Nigeria, the closest they ever come to doing exercise is running around the neighbourhood. Most schools would rather maximise the available space by building classrooms than reserving portions for fields where pupils can engage in physical exercise.

“Beyond foods, kids spend more time playing with electronic devices, from computers to hand-held video game systems, instead of actively playing outside. Television is also a major culprit. For many kids, once they get home from school, virtually all of their free time is spent in front of one screen or another,” she said.

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