According to The Guardian, “in terms of Africa, obesity is a growing problem. Some countries are really experiencing high levels,” said Shane Norris, head of the new African Centre for Obesity Prevention, which launched in Johannesburg on Tuesday.

Although there are still no extremely accurate statistics, the World Health Organization estimates that 12.7% of African children will be overweight or obese by 2020, compared with 8.5% in 2010. Obesity is linked to increased risk of heart disease, type-2 diabetes, high blood pressure and other chronic conditions.

Obesity in Africa affects mostly women, and researchers have still no exactl understanding of why this is the case. Despite its impact on health, obesity is not considered a health priority for communities affected, who are more concerned with infectious diseases such as HIV, AIDS, and tuberculosis.

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