Obesity: Mental health the cause and consequence
Ever wonder about the link between obesity and mental health?
The Psychiatry Management Group's Dr Ian Westmore says poor mental health may be both a cause and a consequence of obesity.
SA has the highest overweight and obesity rate in sub-Saharan Africa with just over 61% of the South African population being overweight or obese, a Medical Research Council study found in 2013.
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Westmore points out that a staggering 40% of women in SA are obese, which means they have a body mass index greater than 30 kg/m2.
He says it is also no longer just an adult problem with 1 in 4 girls and 1 in 5 boys between the ages of 2 and 14 years being overweight or obese.
"What we now know is that obesity is a risk factor for mental health problems and vice versa. For instance, obesity has been found to increase the risk of depression, and depression has been found to be predictive of obesity," Westmore explains.