More cash could lead to poorer health in Kenya
Roast meat (nyama choma). And instead of going to photograph lions, we would rather go and eat nyama choma in Olepolos, and in the evenings we go to clubs to dance, not to an observatory to watch stars. . FILE PHOTO
What you need to know:
- In addition, the number of fast food restaurants is increasing, leading to higher consumption of more junk food. Further, a number of multinational companies that make soft and alcoholic drinks have set up shop in the country.
- Notably, KNH, the largest public referral hospital in East and Central Africa, has a bed capacity of only 30 in the adult cancer ward, which shows that the country is far from being ready to deal with the cancer problem.
- The sale and cost of kale in Western countries also shot up by 40 per cent last year as celebrities zeroed in on it as a key disease-busting ingredient in their menus.
Kenya is likely to see a marked increase in lifestyle diseases, thanks to a better performing economy.
According to the African Development Bank’s Annual Development Effectiveness Review for 2013, Africa is now the fastest growing continent in the world, with most countries’ economies growing at an average of 5.5 per cent.
What remains unsaid, though, is that the continent will also be leading in lifestyle diseases such as cancer, kidney failure, liver diseases, diabetes, heart diseases, stroke, depression and obesity.
In Kenya, the reasons are simple. For one, with rising disposable incomes, many people in urban areas can now afford roast meat with ugali or chips regularly, which they wash down with beer or whisky.
In addition, the number of fast food restaurants is increasing, leading to higher consumption of more junk food. Further, a number of multinational companies that make soft and alcoholic drinks have set up shop in the country.
Kenya risks following in the footsteps of other countries that have had to contend with lifestyle diseases after experiencing an economic turnaround.
OBESE ADULTS
In July, for instance, statistics by the UN Food and Agriculture Organisation (FAO) showed that Mexico (32.8 per cent) had leapfrogged America (31.8 per cent) with the highest number of obese adults.
FAO experts attributed the problem in Mexico to changing dietary patterns, including higher consumption of soft drinks and people becoming less active as a result of mechanisation.
“We are already in the middle of the crisis. The only thing that will happen is an increase in these lifestyle diseases,” says Mr David Makumi, the vice chairman of the Kenya Cancer Association.
A report, released recently by the Overseas Development Institute (ODI) shows that in the developing world, the number of overweight or obese adults more than tripled from 250 million in 1980 to 904 million in 2008.
“Lifestyle diseases are already on the increase in our country…. If we don’t watch out, it will become a catastrophe,” says Ms Kate Kibara, a health nutritionist at Kate’s Organics.
Mr Peter van de Ven, the Vice President and General Manager of Philips Healthcare Africa, also warns that there is an increase in non-communicable diseases, adding that they will surpass communicable illnesses by 2030.
“(There is a) rising, young middle-class with increasing disposable income,” he said during the launch of new body screening machines in Chicago this month.
“(There is) alarming rise in obesity across the continent, creating the desire for healthier diets and cooking options.”
Mr Benson Mulemi, a medical anthropologist, says data at the adult oncology ward and treatment clinic at Kenyatta National Hospital indicate an alarming tendency in the doubling of new cancer cases.
More than 18,000 people die annually from cancer, with up to 60 per cent of them in the most productive years of their lives, says Mr Mulemi.
INEQUALITIES IN SOCIETY
“This trend reflects unique ethno-regional distribution patterns coinciding with the socio-economic structure of Kenya related to its history and politics; the epidemiology of cancer thus manifests inequalities in Kenyan society,” says Mr Mulemi.
He says Kenya can avert a crisis by improving diagnostic facilities and treatment as well as training more pathologists and oncologists in peripheral hospitals to facilitate early detection and prompt treatment of cancer.
Cancer ranks third among the main causes of death in Kenya after infections and cardiovascular diseases, with more than 82, 000 new cases reported annually.
Notably, KNH, the largest public referral hospital in East and Central Africa, has a bed capacity of only 30 in the adult cancer ward, which shows that the country is far from being ready to deal with the cancer problem.
But as Kenya and Africa face a looming health crisis with little action to tackle it, Western countries are striving to reverse the trend, with some promising results.
Many Westerners are increasingly shunning unhealthy diets and lifestyles, and are reducing or eliminating sodas, meat, sugar, milk and alcohol from their diet, with some taking up regular exercises.
Last June, a judge overturned a law by New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg that banned sugary drinks larger than 473ml from restaurants. The pioneering regulation had been introduced as a way of combating obesity.
The sale and cost of kale in Western countries also shot up by 40 per cent last year as celebrities zeroed in on it as a key disease-busting ingredient in their menus.
Conversely, in Kenya, a meal without meat is often seen through the lenses of poverty and not health.
“Our bodies need constant nutrition for our general wellbeing, thus the stress of healthy eating,” says Ms Kibara.
“But this has not been the case as ‘style’ comes first, ending up with only ‘style’ but no life! Without health, all other areas of life almost become insignificant,” she adds.
The West is also investing in modern medical equipment to help with early detection.
