Cape Town’s residents have again topped the charts for maintaining a healthy weight, according to the third “obecity” index released by Discovery Vitality, the incentive scheme managed by health and life insurer Discovery.
The results of its analysis of 300,000 Vitality Health checks completed by members in SA’s six biggest cities were released on Wednesday as part of its efforts to raise awareness of the health risks associated with being overweight or obese.
Based on the proportion of Vitality members who had a healthy weight, it ranked Cape Town first, followed by Johannesburg, Durban, Pretoria, Bloemfontein and Gqeberha.
The assessment of healthy weight was based on body mass index (BMI) and waist circumference. Its 2017 index also put Cape Town on top and Gqeberha at the bottom.
“The obesity epidemic is a global challenge that is on the rise, and, as a nation, we have one of the highest rates worldwide — more than half of South African adults are overweight or obese. Maintaining a healthy weight is important for good health, as it helps prevent and even manage health conditions like diabetes, heart disease, or high blood pressure,” Vitality CEO Dinesh Govender said. The World Health Organization estimates 39% of adults are overweight, and 13% are obese.
In line with global research, Discovery Health Medical Scheme (DHMS) says data shows obese members are more likely to have a chronic condition. Obese members are 6.5 times more likely to have type 2 diabetes, 4.3 times more likely to have hypertension and three times more likely to have heart disease. DHMS is the biggest client of medical scheme administrator Discovery Health, and a large proportion of its members belong to Vitality.
Vitality also ranked the cities based on the contents of people’s shopping baskets at partner retailers Woolworths and Pick n Pay, and on how frequently they logged exercise on fitness trackers or at participating gyms and outdoor events such as Park Run. Cape Town came first for healthy food purchases, and Johannesburg for exercise.
Vitality head of wellness Mosima Mabunda said SA’s obesity epidemic is driven by a complex interaction of biological and socioeconomic factors that lead people to consume more calories than needed.
“Our environment is not our best friend,” she said, highlighting the proliferation of cheap, energy-dense food, oversized portions, eye-catching displays of unhealthy food in supermarkets, and misleading food labelling as some of the ways consumers are nudged towards unhealthy eating. Load-shedding also hampers people’s ability to cook nutritious food, she said.
On Wednesday, Vitality launched a personalised, digital weight management programme, aimed at people at higher risk of health problems due to being overweight. Based on a three-month pilot study, it offers advice from a nutritionist, with meal plans and recipes.
Would you like to comment on this article?
Sign up (it's quick and free) or sign in now.
Please read our Comment Policy before commenting.