A big international study led by Hon. Dr. Kingsley Agyemang, who is a Member of Parliament in Ghana and teaches public health at the Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology (KNUST), has found that there isn’t enough research on obesity in sub-Saharan Africa (SSA). The study, called “Effectiveness of obesity interventions in Sub-Saharan Africa: A systematic review and meta-analyses,” was published recently in a well-respected journal called PLOS ONE.
The study warns that even though obesity is becoming a serious problem in Africa, there aren’t enough local health strategies to tackle it. The researchers looked through over 419,000 academic records, but only seven studies met their criteria, and all of them were from South Africa. This shows that there is a big lack of research in other countries in the region.
Dr. Agyemang is leading this important work, and his experience as both a politician and a teacher helps him push for better health policies in Ghana and beyond. He has been working hard to raise awareness about the obesity problem in Africa. He said, “Sub-Saharan Africa is facing an obesity epidemic, but we don’t have enough evidence to guide our policies and actions. We need to create solutions that fit our culture and context.”
The study found that exercise programs, especially those that include aerobic (like running or swimming) and resistance training (like lifting weights), can help reduce obesity rates by about 34%. However, they didn’t show a significant effect on waist size, which is an important measure of obesity.
Dr. Agyemang emphasized the need for more research in different countries. He said, “Our findings only show a small part of the picture. The fact that all the studies came from one country shows how much more work we need to do. Other countries in sub-Saharan Africa are missing out on important data about how to prevent obesity.”
Besides exercise, the study also looked at other ways to help with obesity, like health education and vitamin supplements. However, there wasn’t enough data to make strong conclusions about how effective these methods are in the long run. The researchers also pointed out that many strategies lack plans for sustainability, meaning they might not last over time.
Prof. Peter Agyei Baffour, who is the Dean of the School of Public Health at KNUST, praised the research as a significant contribution to public health. He said, “With obesity threatening both health and economic growth in SSA, we can’t keep using models from other places. This study is a crucial step toward building our own knowledge base.”
The findings of this study are already making waves in public health and policy discussions, with Dr. Agyemang becoming a key figure in connecting research with government action. His position as an MP gives him a great platform to turn research into real changes in laws and policies. He concluded, “This isn’t just about research; it’s about using what we know to make our communities healthier and create better futures for everyone.”
If you want to read the full study, it’s available upon request and can help researchers, health workers, and policymakers design better ways to fight obesity in sub-Saharan Africa.