The poorest countries may not be able to get rich before the richest

In high-income countries, obesity rates are flattening but increasing in other places. The combined findings from UNICEF and the World Health Organisation, as well as the World Bank, showed that Asia had half of the world’s obese children in 2016. One quarter were in Africa.

According to India’s National Institute of Nutrition, over a quarter of men and nearly half of women who live in urban areas are overweight. This is due to the megatrends such as globalization, urbanization, industrialization of food, etc. According to India’s National Institute of Nutrition (NIN), over a quarter of men and nearly half of women who live in cities are overweight.

Most of the future urbanization in the world is expected to take place in developing countries. This includes Asia and Africa. Rural dwellers are lured into unhealthy eating habits by the availability of cheap, convenient, and processed foods in urban areas.

This crisis will test governments that have traditionally focused on ending hunger. These governments need to understand that cities are convenient and productive because of the many factors. But they also have residents who are obese. To effectively manage this new crisis, intelligent and focused policies are required.

Urban lifestyles

Urbanites have a wide range of food options, from the aisles of processed foods in supermarkets to street vendors who offer quick-order meals. In addition, fast food chains from around the world are thriving in developing nations. This is a shift in dietary habits from healthier traditional food to fried foods, sugary drinks, and fried foods.

The sedentary lives that urban dwellers lead compound the health risks associated with such diets. The most recent Indian nutrition study revealed that men and women who live in cities work eight hours per day on average. The majority of people are employed in office jobs that require sedentary work, about one-quarter of the population exercises.

In the increasing number of homes that can afford, passive entertainment like TV, movies, and video games are monopolizing leisure time.

These trends have the alarming consequence that developing countries could become sicker before they get wealthy. This sickness could, in turn, cripple the health system.

In Southeast Asia, the annual healthcare costs of obesity-related complications such as diabetes and cardiovascular diseases are already up to US 10 billion. By 2030, obesity among China’s young generation will cost US 724 billion for medical treatment. These diseases add to the burden of countries that are already struggling with primary healthcare.

Taxation, urban design, and education, as well as the promotion of localized food systems, may be able to control obesity for a much lower cost than medical treatment. This is because an aging and overweight population will require less medical care.

Direct Interventions

Some governments have tried direct interventions, like taxation of unhealthy food and drinks. We pioneered the soda-tax movement. Thailand, Brunei, and Singapore all adopted similar measures. South Africa will likely introduce a sugar tax in April 2018.

The regulatory approach has not been limited to sugar or taxation. In the United Kingdom, advertising regulations prevent the marketing of high-fat, high-salt, and sugar foods to children under 16.

Berkeley, California, has acknowledged that taxes are not sufficient to combat obesity. The proceeds from Berkeley’s sugar taxes will be used for child nutrition and community programs. It is important to educate and raise awareness.

Initiatives with a broader scope also hold promise. Urban design has the power to influence lifestyles and public health. The “walkability” and quality of cycling infrastructure in neighborhoods, as well as the attractiveness and accessibility of public spaces, can encourage residents to leave their cars and homes.

In a recent study on urban neighborhoods of Shanghai and Hangzhou, it was found that residents with middle incomes who live in less walkable areas had higher Body Mass Indexes than richer or poorer residents in neighborhoods where walking is possible.

Finally, healthier living begins in the aisles of your local grocery store. The government should promote closer connections between urban grocers, food vendors, and agricultural production systems. In the US, it has been promoting urban gardens and establishing relationships with farmers who live in close proximity to cities.

These initiatives can also be used to help urban residents understand how food is sourced. It also raises public awareness of the link between healthy eating and natural foods. Even the preservation and promotion of traditional food culture can encourage healthy alternatives.

A promising way to combat rising obesity rates is by combining policies that encourage healthy eating and an active lifestyle with controls on unhealthy food. From an economic and social perspective, addressing public health is part of the policy mandate for developing nations. Paraphrasing the recent Global Nutrition Report, addressing obesity has become a global imperative to release the brakes of development.