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Understanding the scale of obesity levels in Nigeria

  • Admin
  • Feb 23, 2024
  • 3 min read

Updated: Feb 24, 2024



Obesity in Nigeria

Nigeria is facing a growing concern with obesity about twelve million persons in Nigeria were estimated to be obese in 2020 (1). The change in dietary patterns, characterised by an increased intake of processed foods has increased obesity rates (1).


Obesity in Emerging African economies

In contrast, cities with emerging economies like Accra (Ghana) and Kinshasa (Democratic Republic of Congo) share a closer obesity prevalence with Nigeria, reflecting the urbanization impact on traditional diets (4, 5). In contrast data has shown that in Egypt there are higher obesity levels than Nigeria (6,7).


Cities with high obesity

Lagos and Abuja, Nigeria's major urban centres, are witnessing a sharper increase in obesity rates (1). Obesity statistics from other cities indicate that over twenty percentof people living in London are obese (2) and over twelve percent of people living in New York are obese (3). Therefore, Nigeria's cities obesity rates are comparatively lower than that of some large Western cities (1,2). 


Cities with lower obesity rates

Japanese cities such as Tokyo present an anomaly with a significantly lower obesity rate when compared to comparable Western cities (3). In cities like Tokyo behaviours associated with diet and walking are likely to assist these individuals maintain lower Obesity levels. Therefore, increased obesity levels should not be seen as an inevitability in large Nigerian cities such as Abuja and Lagos. Madrid is also another city that typically has lower obesity rates than London and New York City (8).

This summary of obesity rates reveals the influence of dietary habits and behaviours lifestyle on obesity levels. Therefore, cities like Lagos and Abuja are still at the stage that obesity related issues that are observed in Western nations can still be prevented.


Further Reading

  1. Adeloye, D., Ige-Elegbede, J.O., Ezejimofor, M., Owolabi, E.O., Ezeigwe, N., Omoyele, C., Mpazanje, R.G., Dewan, M.T., Agogo, E., Gadanya, M.A. and Alemu, W., 2021. Estimating the prevalence of overweight and obesity in Nigeria in 2020: a systematic review and meta-analysis. Annals of medicine, 53(1), pp.495-507. https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/pdf/10.1080/07853890.2021.1897665 

  2. Aswathikutty, A., Marcenes, W., Stansfeld, S.A. and Bernabé, E., 2017. Obesity, physical activity and traumatic dental injuries in adolescents from East London. Dental traumatology, 33(2), pp.137-142. https://discovery.ucl.ac.uk/id/eprint/10069253/7/Aswathikutty_Obesity_physical_activity_and_ASWATHIKUTTY_Publishedonline19January2017_GREEN_AAM_.pdf 

  3. Tamakoshi, A., Yatsuya, H., Lin, Y., Tamakoshi, K., Kondo, T., Suzuki, S., Yagyu, K., Kikuchi, S. and JACC Study Group, 2010. BMI and all‐cause mortality among Japanese older adults: findings from the Japan collaborative cohort study. Obesity, 18(2), pp.362-369.  https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/pdfdirect/10.1038/oby.2009.190

  4. Duda, R.B., Darko, R., Seffah, J., Adanu, R.M., Anarfi, J.K. and Hill, A.G., 2007. Prevalence of obesity in women of Accra, Ghana. African Journal of Health Sciences, 14(3), pp.154-159. https://www.ajol.info/index.php/ajhs/article/download/30855/62546

  5. On’Kin, J.K.L., Longo-Mbenza, B., Okwe, A.N. and Kabangu, N.K., 2007. Survey of abdominal obesities in an adult urban population of Kinshasa, Democratic Republic of Congo. Cardiovascular Journal of Africa, 18(5), p.300. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3975547/

  6. Mowafi, M., Khadr, Z., Kawachi, I., Subramanian, S.V., Hill, A. and Bennett, G.G., 2014. Socioeconomic status and obesity in Cairo, Egypt: a heavy burden for all. Journal of epidemiology and global health, 4(1), pp.13-21. https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S2210600613000877

  7. Aboulghate, M., Elaghoury, A., Elebrashy, I., Elkafrawy, N., Elshishiney, G., Abul-Magd, E., Bassiouny, E., Toaima, D., Elezbawy, B., Fasseeh, A. and Abaza, S., 2021. The burden of obesity in Egypt. Frontiers in public health, 9, p.718978. https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fpubh.2021.718978/full 

  8. Cereijo, L., Gullón, P., Del Cura, I., Valadés, D., Bilal, U., Badland, H. and Franco, M., 2022. Exercise facilities and the prevalence of obesity and type 2 diabetes in the city of Madrid. Diabetologia, 65, pp.150-158. https://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s00125-021-05582-5


 
 
 

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