Dr Kondwani Katundu, a Senior Lecturer in nutrition and dietetics at the Kamuzu University Health Sciences, says children who are obese are at a high risk of reducing their life expectancy.
He says this is due to associated health conditions like type 2 diabetes, high blood pressure, heart diseases and certain types of cancer.
This comes as the World Health Organisation (WHO) has released a report, stating that globally, children aged between 7 and 9 are obese due to inactiveness and increased Television time exacerbated by the Covid-19 pandemic.
In the report, Dr Ana Rito, WHO’s Head of Nutrition and Childhood Obesity, said during the pandemic, 36% of children were spending much time watching television and playing video games, which resulted in a decline of their happiness and well-being.
In Malawi, the Ministry of Health reports that there is an 8.3% prevalence rate in child obesity.
By Alufisha Fischer
