‘Big is beautiful’ — and unhealthy and confusing?

Abstract

Obesity in women from developing countries is a growing phenomenon, even though the rate is still relatively low in certain areas, namely South Asia (0.1%), sub-Saharan Africa (2.5%), and the Caribbean and Latin America (9.6%).1 In North Africa and the Middle East the prevalence of obesity is already 17.2%, not much lower than the 20.7% found in the USA. Thirty-six per cent of urban black women and 25% of rural black women in South Africa are obese. In South Africa as a whole, 30% of women are obese. Obesity in black women is a significant health problem in South Africa and paves the way for diseases such as diabetes, hypertension, stroke, and certain cancers, all of which are prevalent in black women.