Tags: Obesity, Overweight, Global epidemic, Risk factor, African women, Caucasian men, Public healthcare, Economical impact

The World Health Organisation acknowledges obesity as an unforgiving, formidable chronic disease, an eminent global epidemic, and the most significant independent risk factor to chronic disease. There are about 30 different diseases associated with obesity of which cardiovascular disease, metabolic syndrome, lifestyle cancers, depression, and diabetes are the most prominent. The current rising obesity trends increase the prevalence of these obesity-associated diseases, as well as a wide range of psychosocial problems. Global expectations are that weight-related chronic disease will develop into the most significant healthcare problem in the 21" century. Obesity is a major public healthcare problem in South Africa, with African women and Caucasian men most at risk. However, the competing priorities of unemployment, poverty, and HIV/AIDS place high demands on the South African economy, with resultant neglect of obesity.