An obese woman. Recent WHO report shows women Nairobi and Kirinyaga counties are the most overweight. [Photo: nation.co.ke]
Women in Nairobi and Kirinyaga counties are the most overweight, a new report by World Health Organisation shows.
Head of Nutrition and Dietetics Unit Gladys Mugambi said about 47 percent of women in these two counties are either obese or overweight. This is among the highest levels in Africa.
"Cases of overweight expose one to diseases like high blood pressure and diabetes, which are very expensive for the county and the patient to treat," Mugambi said last week during a meeting with health workers on capacity development for nutrition as quoted by the Star.
In Africa, Kenyan women ranked 9th as the most obese out of 36 African countries sampled, says 'Nutrition in the WHO African Region report', which was released last week by the UN agency.
It shows the most unhealthy weight gain is found among the Swazi and Lesotho women.
The least obese women were found to be in Ethiopia, Madagascar and Burundi. However, nutritionists feel this largely has to do with malnutrition rather than healthy living.
"Overweight or obesity in mothers increases the risk in their offspring of high birth weight and subsequent childhood overweight," the report says.
According to the Ministry of Health, the average overweight rate among Kenyan women is 33 percent, which is attributed to poor nutrition.