South African women are dangerously overweight, with obesity among women having climbed from 27% of women in 2003 to 39% last year, a Human Science Research Council (HSRC) survey released on Tuesday revealed.
The 2012 SA National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey also found that 68% of women (and 20% of men) had a waist circumference that placed them at risk of metabolic complications such as diabetes, while the percent of children that are overweight had increased from 11% in 2005 to 18% last year.
The survey also found that about 28% of South African men and 45% of women are unfit, that one in five smoke and that over one in four women and one in five men have high cholesterol.
Source: sanews.gov.za