Fitness classes help elderly Ugandan women fight rising rates of obesity and diabetes
FILE PHOTO: Fitness coach Aaron Kusasira guides elderly women as they take part in community-led fitness drills session that combines yoga, aerobics, and cricket drills to combat non-communicable diseases (NCDs), on a playing field in Kivubuka village, in Jinja District, Eastern Uganda, July 12, 2025. REUTERS/Abubaker Lubowa/File Photo
JINJA, Uganda - Wearing floor-length dresses and wrap-around skirts, the group of elderly women giggle and tease each other as they jog in pairs, hand in hand, across a playing field in Kivubuka, a village in eastern Uganda.
The exercise class is part of a project aimed at reducing increasing rates of noncommunicable diseases such as hypertension, diabetes and heart disease and has attracted more than 1,000 people since it began five years ago.
While famine and malnutrition remain major concerns in several African countries, obesity is increasingly on the march, especially among Ugandan women.
Jane Anonyaalaba, a grandmother, is one of those looking to buck the trend. She used to struggle with high blood pressure, persistent aches and occasional paralysis in her limbs.
"I would breathe with difficulty. Climbing a hill was almost impossible," the 70-year-old said.
Now, she bends over double to whack three tennis balls with a cricket bat before running between a set of blue plastic wickets.
A quarter of a century ago, just 4% of Ugandan women were obese, but that figure had more than doubled to 10.4% by 2019, according to the latest available dataset provided by the Global Nutrition Report, which tracks global nutrition.
Top stories
Swipe. Select. Stay informed.
Singapore 2 workers stranded on gondola dangling outside Raffles City Tower rescued by SCDF
Asia Japan PM Ishiba apologises to his party for election loss, vows to stay in office to deal with US tariff talks
Business $1.1 billion allocated to three fund managers to boost Singapore stock market: MAS
Singapore Proof & Company Spirits closes Singapore distribution business
Life Travel Journal: Safari tourism with a side of moral crisis
Singapore Mandai Wildlife Group group CEO Mike Barclay to retire; Bennett Neo named as successor
Singapore Jail, caning for man who held metal rod to cashier's neck in failed robbery attempt
Singapore Fresh charge for woman who harassed nurse during pandemic, created ruckus at lion dance competition
By comparison, male obesity had risen to just 2.3%.
Weekly fitness clubs like Kivubuka may be a model for a local, low-cost approach to supporting aging communities across Africa, where 17% of adult women and 6.8% of men are obese.
As people lead more urban, sedentary lifestyles, and eat cheaper ultra-processed foods, the continent is becoming more obese, according to the World Health Organization (WHO).
Obesity has brought a corollary rise in deaths: around one-third of Ugandans died from NCDs in 2016, almost double the number in 2000.
"I want to think and believe that there (has been) a change in their lives," said Isaac Imaka, who organises the club on behalf of the Gabula Royal Foundation, a charity established by a Ugandan traditional leader.
"This... is a place where you can come and find a new friend, and just have something to talk about." REUTERS
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Straits Times
3 hours ago
- Straits Times
Honduras mandates face masks again as respiratory illnesses spike
People queueing outside the Hospital Escuela wear surgical masks after the Honduran government mandated their use as a preventive measure amid a nationwide surge in respiratory illnesses, including influenza, pneumonia, and COVID-19, in Tegucigalpa, Honduras, July 25, 2025. REUTERS/Leonel Estrada TEGUCIGALPA - Over five years after the COVID-19 outbreak, Honduras has reinstated mandatory mask wearing in public spaces amid a spike in respiratory illnesses and as a variant of the virus spreads through the Central American country. Honduras' health ministry confirmed two deaths from the virus this week, among patients with underlying health conditions, bringing the country's total in 2025 to six. "We have already surpassed last year's infection limit; there are currently five people admitted to Hospital Escuela with suspected COVID-19," said the head of Health Surveillance, Lorenzo Pavon. Official data showed that from January to July last year, 596 COVID-19 cases were reported, while this year 654 cases have been recorded in the same period. The temporary measures, which took effect on Thursday, make masks obligatory in hospitals, airports, shopping centers, banks, schools, public transport, and other enclosed or crowded spaces. The government also ordered temporary work-from-home for state institutions. Authorities are urging the public to complete their COVID-19 and influenza vaccination schedules and to seek medical advice for respiratory symptoms. Frequent hand washing and the use of antibacterial gel continue to be recommended measures. Officials also warned that they will maintain monitoring of variants and will reinforce public information campaigns. The Ministry of Health reiterated that it will continuously evaluate the epidemiological situation and warned that the measures could be expanded if the number of infections continues to rise. REUTERS Top stories Swipe. Select. Stay informed. Singapore SMRT to pay lower fine of $2.4m for EWL disruption; must invest at least $600k to boost reliability Singapore MRT service changes needed to modify 3 East-West Line stations on Changi Airport stretch: LTA Singapore S'pore could have nuclear energy 'within a few years', if it decides on it: UN nuclear watchdog chief Asia 'Nothing like this has happened before': At least 16 dead as Thai-Cambodian conflict enters second day Life 'Do you kill children?': Even before independence, S'pore has always loved its over-the-top campaigns Singapore Lung damage, poor brain development, addiction: What vaping does to the body Singapore Tipsy Collective sues former directors, HR head; alleges $14m lost from misconduct, poor decisions Singapore Kopi, care and conversation: How this 20-year-old helps improve the well-being of the elderly
Straits Times
6 hours ago
- Straits Times
At least 652 children died from malnutrition in Nigeria in last six months, MSF says
FILE PHOTO: Nursing mothers whose children are malnourished wait for healthcare, following the aid cut by the United States Agency for International Development (USAID), in Tudun Gambo Primary Health Care Center, Tudun Gambo, Bauchi State, Nigeria, May 8, 2025. REUTERS/Sodiq Adelakun/File Photo ABUJA - At least 652 children died from malnutrition in the Nigerian state of Katsina in the first six months of 2025, Mèdecìns Sans Frontières said on Friday, an outcome it said it was due to funding cuts by international donors. Katsina, in the north of the country, is plagued by insecurity. "We are currently witnessing massive budget cuts, particularly from the United States, the United Kingdom, and the European Union, which are having real impact on the treatment of malnourished children," said MSF, also known as Doctors Without Borders. On Wednesday, the United Nations food agency said it will be forced to suspend food and nutrition aid for 1.3 million people in Nigeria's insurgency-hit northeast at the end of July because stocks have run out. Nigeria has budgeted 200 billion naira ($130 million) this year to cushion the shortfall from the withdrawal of funding to the health sector by the U.S. MSF said the number of children in Katsina with the most severe form of malnutrition has risen by about 208% this year compared with the same period last year and "unfortunately 652 children have already died in our facilities since the beginning of 2025". Banditry is rife in Katsina where insecurity has displaced many people, forcing them to abandon their farms. The government, alongside local civilian vigilante groups, has struggled to contain the activities of bandits. REUTERS
Straits Times
7 hours ago
- Straits Times
International Planned Parenthood condemns plan to burn US-funded contraceptives
FILE PHOTO: A view of a warehouse of Kuehne+Nagel, which houses U.S.-funded contraceptives worth nearly $10 million, after the U.S. State Department confirmed that the stocks would be sent to France to be destroyed, in Geel, Belgium July 24, 2025. REUTERS/Marta Fiorin/File Photo BRUSSELS - The International Planned Parenthood Federation (IPPF) on Friday condemned a plan to incinerate U.S.-funded contraceptives worth nearly $10 million in France, a move reported by Reuters earlier this week. The supplies, including contraceptive implants and pills, have been sitting for months in a warehouse in Geel, a city in Belgium's Antwerp province, after President Donald Trump froze U.S. foreign aid in January. They are now being sent to France for destruction. IPPF called on the French, Belgian and U.S. governments to find a way to save the contraceptives, and on the French company that would be responsible for the destruction "to reconsider its role". "This is an intentional act of reproductive coercion," it said in a statement. Washington has previously said it did not want any USAID-branded supplies, like the ones in Belgium, to be rerouted elsewhere. A source with knowledge of the issue told Reuters that the Trump administration was acting in accordance with the Mexico City policy, an anti-abortion pact in which Trump reinstated U.S. participation in January. The State Department also told Reuters that related concerns about the end-destination of the contraceptives were factors in the decision. Top stories Swipe. Select. Stay informed. Singapore SMRT to pay lower fine of $2.4m for EWL disruption; must invest at least $600k to boost reliability Singapore MRT service changes needed to modify 3 East-West Line stations on Changi Airport stretch: LTA Singapore S'pore could have nuclear energy 'within a few years', if it decides on it: UN nuclear watchdog chief Life 'Do you kill children?': Even before independence, S'pore has always loved its over-the-top campaigns Singapore Lung damage, poor brain development, addiction: What vaping does to the body Singapore Career setbacks among challenges raised by those seeking fertility help in S'pore: Survey Singapore Fine for couple whose catering companies owed $432,000 in salaries to 103 employees Singapore Kopi, care and conversation: How this 20-year-old helps improve the well-being of the elderly The IPPF said it had offered to collect the products, transport and repack them and to distribute the products onwards to women in need across the globe - "all at no cost to the US government" - but that the offer was rejected by the U.S. government. REUTERS
