Source: World Health Organisation
Therncountry has already taken some bold moves to transform the food system, enablernequitable access to healthy food and physical activity and provide healthyrnmeals to children through the National School Nutrition Programme. rnSpecifically, as part of efforts to create healthier food environments, arnsugar-sweetened beverage tax, introduced in 2018, has helped reduce sugaryrndrink purchases, and regulations to reduce salt in processed foods has reducedrnsalt intake.
Obesityrnchronic care programs now need to be scaled up across all levels of thernhealth system with a focus on community and primary care and referral and backrnreferral to secondary and tertiary care. “The task is now to replan, reorganizernand reorient health services and train health-care providers to expand accessrnto all those in need and offer services where people are, with an impetus neverrnseen before,” said Professor Francois Venter, Director of Ezintsha atrnthe University of the Witwatersrand. “And there are many lessons from ourrnexperience in implementing large scale HIV programmes that are highly relevant,”rnhe added.
Asrnwith the HIV response in the early 2000s, the voices of health advocates andrnresearchers are critical to ensuring a person-centred, rights-based response tornaddressing obesity in South Africa. Robust civil society is a strength of SouthrnAfrican society that can be leveraged to combat obesity. A key player, thernDesmond Tutu Health Foundation (DTHF), expanded the HIV focus of its researchrnand advocacy to cover HIV within the broader health context of NCDs and mentalrnhealth in 2020. “Obesity is the new South African epidemic, with many parallelsrnto HIV. Both require lifelong care and impact every part of society. The samernlevers that drove South Africa’s HIV response – advocacy, community engagement,rncollaboration and long-term commitment – are just as crucial for tacklingrnobesity and sustained action beyond World Obesity Day,” noted DrrnNomathemba Chandiwana, Chief Scientific Officer at DTHF.
Onrnthe same line, the Cancer Association of South Africa (CANSA) has been runningrneducational campaigns on healthy living for decades. As well as educating thernpublic and enabling research, CANSA strives to influence policymakers on cancerrncontrol issues and advocates to protect people’s right to health care.
© WHO / Barry Christianson
Torntackle obesity, action is needed across different areas of governmentrnincluding, among others, health, social services, finance, education, trade andrnurban planning. Government efforts can be amplified by collaboration withrnresearchers who can help with problem solving and filling knowledge gaps withrntargeted research. At the same time, supportive non-governmental organizationsrn(NGOs) and community groups – joining forces with the government and scientistsrn– can call for robust, rights-based public health action.
Byrnharnessing the superpower of joint government, civil society and academiarnaction, and building on the hard-won success of HIV programmes, South Africa isrnleading the way and delivering the change that is needed to respond to thernobesity challenge.
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