South Africans are the world’s unhealthiest

THE obesity rate among South Africans is alarming and needs to be urgently addressed through interventions on changing the population’s mindset on health issues.

This was the sentiment of Dr Riekie Smit, an aesthetic medicine practitioner of Pretoria, with a special interest in weight management.

She commented on the results of a recent global health survey.

The Indigo Wellness Index, for which 191 countries were surveyed according to 10 health measures, ranked South Africa as the unhealthiest country in the world.

These measures included healthy life expectancy, blood pressure, blood glucose (diabetes risk), obesity, depression, happiness, alcohol use, tobacco use, inactivity (too little exercise), and government spending on healthcare.

‘People need to realise that their health is not only the responsibility of a doctor or their health institute, but their own responsibility,’ said Dr Smit.

‘South Africans can be very lazy and expect their doctor or a tablet to fix their health problems.

‘Changing lifestyle, diet and habits are not viewed by our population as the first step to cure diseases.’

According to the World Health Organisation (WHO), 28% of South Africans are obese – the highest among sub-Saharan African countries.

Dr Smit said government and private health institutions must encourage patients to lead healthier lifestyles, which would lighten the load on these institutions.

‘We simply do not have enough doctors and healthcare facilities to manage our unhealthy population.’

Recent statistics from WHO show that South Africans have a 26% probability of dying from cardiovascular disease, cancer, diabetes or chronic respiratory disease between the ages of 30 and 70.

Dr Smit said there is no doubt that improvement in lifestyle and weight loss would have a huge impact.

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