Obesity and Nutrition in the Most Remote Parts of Africa

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Background

Obesity is a significant public health and economic problem of global importance. Incidence rates are rising in all parts of the world, both in wealthy Western countries and poorer nations. However, no country in the world has been able to reverse the obesity epidemic once it has started. Even in the most remote parts of Africa, low or high nutrition intake has varied effects on obesity, overweight, and malnutrition. In low-lying parts of Africa, being overweight is common, especially among young women and children. Obesity is thought to be caused by a lack of consistency in one's daily dietary and physical activity. Changing demographics, rising incomes, urbanization, unhealthy lifestyles, and the consumption of highly processed meals appear to be causing an obesity epidemic in these countries.

Toxins from the environment and long-term psychological distress are just some of the emerging risk factors. Unfortunately, there is a lack of information on effectively preventing the beginning of obesity in low-income areas of Africa or elsewhere. If these data and information are readily available, it could serve to inform actions in high-income countries, which can significantly benefit expanding this area of research.

A worldwide effort to help countries effectively intervene is urgently needed, since not only is obesity increasing at an alarming rate, but there have also been very few national success stories in obesity prevention from the nutritional intake in the last three decades in these various countries. The WHO member countries aim to address the obesity, and low and high dietary epidemic by 2025. A lack of data and information on the prevalence of obesity and excess weight in low-income people in Africa has sparked requests for regular monitoring of nutrition interventions that alter overweight and obesity rates.

Many chronic conditions, including cardiovascular disease, hypertension, and type 2 diabetes, can be linked to obesity. However, gaps remain in our understanding of the impact of diet on obesity, malnutrition, and overweight in adults across the country despite recent studies. For this reason, this Research Topic welcomes manuscripts that assess the impact of nutrition (low or high) on the prevalence of obesity in the African population and the various remote areas of Africa. This would be necessary to determine the health consequences and direct policymakers to focus on the most important ones that concern public health. In addition, the editors of this topic welcome manuscripts that look at the effects of diet on obesity and overweight among remote African populations in low socioeconomic contexts and see how these trends differ based on educational attainment and household wealth.

Keywords: Obesity, Nutrition, Impact, Remote, Africa

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