Cape Town tops health list, but has some weighty issues
The latest ‘obecity’ index reveals only 53.5% of Capetonians are a healthy weight
Cape Town residents may be the slimmest in the land and buy the healthiest food, but barely half of them are at a healthy weight, according to the latest "obecity" index released by Vitality, the incentive scheme managed by the country’s biggest medical scheme administrator, Discovery Health. Only 53.5% of Capetonians had a healthy weight, a marginally better result than Johannesburg’s, where 52% made the grade. Bottom of the pile was Port Elizabeth, where only 48.8% of its residents had a healthy weight. The assessment was based on body mass index (BMI) and waist circumference. Vitality’s report adds to a growing body of research showing that South Africans eat too little fruit and veggies, far too much sugar and salt, and all too readily turn to convenience food instead of preparing meals from scratch. It also highlights the extent of obesity in the middle classes, despite the choices available to them, said Vitality head Vitality Craig Nossel. That SA has a rising proportion of o...
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