Klobodu Seth Selorm, Kessner Sarah, Johnson Levi
Department of Nutrition and Food Science, California State University, Chico, USA.
Pan Afr Med J. 2018 Jun 26;30:173. doi: 10.11604/pamj.2018.30.173.15340. eCollection 2018.
The African region may be reaching a tipping point for a major health crisis. Over the last few decades for example, there has been a significant increase in the prevalence of obesity and associated comorbidities. This alarming trend is attributed to the rapid urbanization, increase in income, and unhealthy lifestyles among many others. Most importantly, managing and treating non-communicable diseases (NCDs) is expensive and proving to be beyond the reach of ordinary Africans. Interestingly, Africa has not fully eradicated undernutrition particularly micronutrient malnutrition especially among women and children. Additionally, HIV/AIDs, malaria, diarrheal diseases and other preventable infectious diseases continue to pose serious threat to the health of the populace. The management of NCDs is challenging and costly as most healthcare systems on the continent are largely built for the provision of curative care for communicable diseases. This article proposes the institution of nutrition and health surveys in individual countries to monitor trends. We believe this approach, in addition to addressing lifestyle and behavioral factors, may be effective in curbing the rising phenomenon of obesity and NCDs.
非洲地区可能正处于一场重大健康危机的临界点。例如，在过去几十年里，肥胖症及相关合并症的患病率显著上升。这一令人担忧的趋势归因于快速城市化、收入增加以及许多其他不健康的生活方式。最重要的是，管理和治疗非传染性疾病成本高昂，普通非洲人难以承受。有趣的是，非洲尚未完全消除营养不良，尤其是微量营养素营养不良，特别是在妇女和儿童中。此外，艾滋病毒/艾滋病、疟疾、腹泻病和其他可预防的传染病继续对民众健康构成严重威胁。由于非洲大陆的大多数医疗保健系统主要是为提供传染病的治疗护理而建立的，因此非传染性疾病的管理具有挑战性且成本高昂。本文提议在各个国家开展营养与健康调查以监测趋势。我们认为，这种方法除了解决生活方式和行为因素外，可能有助于遏制肥胖症和非传染性疾病不断上升的现象。
