Fitness classes help elderly Ugandan women fight rising rates of obesity and diabetes
The exercise class is part of a project aimed at reducing increasing rates of noncommunicable diseases such as hypertension, diabetes and heart disease and has attracted more than 1,000 people since it began five years ago.
While famine and malnutrition remain major concerns in several African countries, obesity is increasingly on the march, especially among Ugandan women.
Jane Anonyaalaba, a grandmother, is one of those looking to buck the trend. She used to struggle with high blood pressure, persistent aches and occasional paralysis in her limbs.
"I would breathe with difficulty. Climbing a hill was almost impossible," the 70-year-old said.
Now, she bends over double to whack three tennis balls with a cricket bat before running between a set of blue plastic wickets.
A quarter of a century ago, just 4% of Ugandan women were obese, but that figure had more than doubled to 10.4% by 2019, according to the latest available dataset provided by the Global Nutrition Report, which tracks global nutrition.
Weekly fitness clubs like Kivubuka may be a model for a local, low-cost approach to supporting aging communities across Africa, where 17% of adult women and 6.8% of men are obese.
As people lead more urban, sedentary lifestyles, and eat cheaper ultra-processed foods, the continent is becoming more obese, according to the World Health Organization (WHO).
Obesity has brought a corollary rise in deaths: around one-third of Ugandans died from NCDs in 2016, almost double the number in 2000.
"I want to think and believe that there (has been) a change in their lives," said Isaac Imaka, who organises the club on behalf of the Gabula Royal Foundation, a charity established by a Ugandan traditional leader.
"This... is a place where you can come and find a new friend, and just have something to talk about."
(Reporting by Elias Biryabarema; Editing by Hereward Holland and Alexandra Hudson)
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Daily Express
an hour ago
- Daily Express
12th Global Forum on Nicotine experts fault WHO inaction
Published on: Tuesday, July 22, 2025 Published on: Tue, Jul 22, 2025 By: David Thien Text Size: WARSAW: The World Health Organization (WHO) was taken to task for its refusal to recognise scientific outcomes that prove alternative nicotine products help some 1.3 billion smokers in the world quit the habit, or transition to a less harmful to their health options. This view was shared by many expert participants at the 12th Global Forum on Nicotine (GFN 2025) that was held in Poland at the Warsaw Presidential Hotel from June 19 to 21, 2025. They were scientists and doctors among other professionals. It was reported that smoking causes some 8 million deaths around the world. It is well established that nicotine does not cause smoking-related diseases, which result instead from the inhalation of toxicants in tobacco smoke. High quality independent evidence supporting the role of safer nicotine products in smoking cessation is growing. Vapes, pouches, pasteurised snus and heated tobacco products (HTPs) all deliver nicotine without combustion, leading to substantially reduced health risks in comparison to continued smoking. There was consensus that fear-driven narratives about safer nicotine products means prolonged misery and death for smokers as pervasive misconceptions about safer nicotine products and their role in smoking cessation could see tobacco harm reduction fail to fulfil its huge potential. The Global Forum on Nicotine is organised by Global Forum on Nicotine Limited, an events company committed to providing a platform for global public health debate, knowledge exchange and networking, underpinned by the principles of inclusiveness and multi-sectoral engagement. It does not receive sponsorship from manufacturers, distributors or retailers of nicotine products including pharmaceutical, vaping and tobacco companies. Conference-supporting organisations endorse the event, but have no financial or administrative involvement in organisation of the event. According to Riccardo Polosa, professor of medicine at the University of Catania in Italy, the World Health Organization (WHO) is actively misleading the public about the relative risk of nicotine products compared to cigarettes on purpose. 'They select their references and distort the evidence. There is one single objective, in my opinion, which is to create their own science that supports the abstinence-only narrative,' he says. 'But this has terrible consequences for millions of smokers who would otherwise switch to much less harmful products. In the clinical world, this would be called negligence,' he said, in a special session marked 20 years of the WHO Framework Convention on Tobacco Control (FCTC), in which leading voices examined the treaty's impact. 'The FCTC has succeeded politically and legally,' said Jeannie Cameron, a policy consultant. 'But if we measure success by reductions in smoking and tobacco-related deaths, it has failed.' 'We still have over a billion smokers worldwide. The FCTC was meant to reduce cancer, cardiovascular and respiratory disease,' said Derek Yach, a former WHO director. 'Tobacco harm reduction is the obvious way to stop this crisis in its tracks.' Global experts are tackling a barrier that continues to undermine efforts to reduce the annual 8 million premature deaths related to smoking: misinformation and miscommunication about safer nicotine products and tobacco harm reduction (THR). The GFN 2025 is challenging perceptions as effective communication for tobacco harm reduction conference is a call to action for change. While science increasingly supports safer nicotine products like vapes, snus, pouches and heated tobacco as tools to help smokers switch away from combustibles, fear-driven narratives continue to dominate media and policy. In a keynote lecture Jacob Grier, a journalist covering tobacco policy who has written for Slate and The Atlantic, talked about the disconnect between the evidence for tobacco harm reduction – utility of products like vapes and snus as safer alternatives to continued smoking – and the fact that hostile media narratives are shaping public opinion and health policies. How can impactful, evidence-based messaging be built that respects both reduced-risk products and consumer autonomy? 'Obviously we need to emphasize credible research. The bad news is that having the facts on our side is clearly not enough,' Grier said. 'Journalists seek novelty, so if something isn't new, it isn't news. Millions of people dying from smoking isn't a story, but a few dozen people dying from adulterated [THC or cannabis] vapes generates months of media coverage.' The Global Forum on Nicotine is the only global event that welcomes all stakeholders involved with new and safer nicotine products, including: consumers and consumer advocates; public health experts; policy analysts, parliamentarians and government officials; academics and researchers; product manufacturers and distributors; and media representatives. Stay up-to-date by following Daily Express's Telegram channel. Daily Express Malaysia
The Sun
3 hours ago
- The Sun
WHO reports Israeli military attack on Gaza staff residence
The World Health Organization said the Israeli military attacked its staff residence and main warehouse in the Gazan city of Deir al-Balah on Monday, compromising its operations in Gaza. The United Nations agency said the WHO staff residence was attacked three times, with airstrikes causing a fire and extensive damage, and endangering staff and their families, including children. Israeli tanks pushed into southern and eastern districts of Deir al-Balah for the first time on Monday, an area where Israeli sources said the military believes hostages may be held. Tank shelling in the area hit houses and mosques, killing at least three Palestinians and wounding several others, local medics said. 'Israeli military entered the premises, forcing women and children to evacuate on foot toward Al-Mawasi amid active conflict. Male staff and family members were handcuffed, stripped, interrogated on the spot, and screened at gunpoint,' WHO said. Two WHO staff and two family members were detained, it said in a post on X, adding that three were later released, while one staff member remained in detention. 'WHO demands the immediate release of the detained staff and protection of all its staff,' WHO Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said. Deir al-Balah is packed with Palestinians displaced during more than 21 months of war in Gaza, hundreds of whom fled west or south after Israel issued an evacuation order, saying it sought to destroy infrastructure and capabilities of the militant group Hamas. WHO said its main warehouse, located within an evacuation zone, was damaged on Sunday due to an attack that triggered explosions and a fire inside. WHO stated it will remain in Deir al-Balah and expand its operations despite the attacks. Britain and more than 20 other countries called on Monday for an immediate end to the war in Gaza and criticised the Israeli government's aid delivery model after hundreds of Palestinians were killed near sites distributing food. The war began when Hamas-led militants stormed into Israel on October 7, 2023, killing 1,200 people and taking 251 hostages back to Gaza, according to Israeli tallies. The Israeli military campaign against Hamas in Gaza has since killed over 59,000 Palestinians, according to health officials, displaced almost the entire population, and caused a humanitarian crisis. The World Health Organization describes the health sector in Gaza as being 'on its knees', with shortages of fuel, medical supplies and frequent mass casualty influxes. - Reuters
The Star
9 hours ago
- The Star
Health experts, officials convene in Uganda for HIV, hepatitis B, syphilis elimination across Africa
KAMPALA, July 21 (Xinhua) -- Health experts, policymakers, and researchers on Monday began a three-day meeting in Kampala, the Ugandan capital, to accelerate the elimination of mother-to-child transmission of HIV, syphilis, and hepatitis B across Africa. The event, held under the theme "Unifying Actions, Transforming Futures: Achieving Triple Elimination in Africa by 2030," is dubbed as Africa's first-ever high-level conference focused on the triple elimination of mother-to-child transmission of HIV, syphilis, and hepatitis B. Ugandan President Yoweri Museveni, represented by Vice President Jessica Alupo, emphasized the importance of unity and innovation in tackling the continent's health challenges, especially in the face of shifting global health priorities and diminishing funding. "As Africa, and as a global community, we must act with unity, innovation, and purpose to advance maternal and child health and eliminate mother-to-child transmission of HIV, syphilis, and hepatitis B," said Museveni. He noted that the interconnected epidemics of HIV, syphilis, and hepatitis B pose a significant burden to public health, particularly through mother-to-child transmission during pregnancy, childbirth, and breastfeeding. Uganda's Minister of Health Ruth Aceng told the gathering that while progress has been made in HIV prevention, care, and treatment, major challenges persist, particularly in addressing syphilis and hepatitis B. She said that by the end of 2024, Africa had approximately 26.3 million people living with HIV, accounting for 65 percent of the global total. Meanwhile, syphilis cases are rising worldwide, with eight million adults infected, 700,000 congenital cases, and 230,000 deaths annually. While Africa has recorded the highest increase in syphilis cases globally, with only Botswana and Namibia currently on track to eliminate mother-to-child transmission, 65 million people across the continent are chronically infected with hepatitis B, contributing 63 percent of the world's new infections, the minister added. "Integration is the way to go now, especially in this era of unprecedented funding challenges, where we are already seeing a reduction in funding from development partners," said Aceng. According to the event organizers, the conference aligns with the World Health Organization's 2030 disease elimination targets and the African Union's Agenda 2063, both of which envision a healthier, more resilient Africa.
