According to a recent SA study childhood obesity is leading to children developing severe lifestyle-related diseases typically found in middle-aged adults. – TimesLIVE (3 July 2025)
“Poor eating habits and a lack of physical activity are at the heart of the epidemic, which researchers have described as a ‘red flag’ for the nation's health.
The study, a collaboration between the SA Medical Research Council (SAMRC) and Inkosi Albert Luthuli Central Hospital in Durban, assessed the health records of 430 children under 12 who were treated for obesity over ten years from 2012 to 2022.
“More than a quarter (27.9%) of the children in the study were under the age of five, with an average age of just over seven years. Professor Nasheeta Peer, a lead author of the study and a researcher at the SAMRC, said seeing such a high burden of chronic diseases in children, some as young as five, is a red flag.”
The data showed that 47.9% of the children consumed sugary soft drinks daily:43.5% spent more than two hours per day on screens; and 42.3% engaged in less than 30 minutes of physical activity per day.