Member of Parliament for Abuakwa South, Dr Kingsley Agyemang
The Member of Parliament for Abuakwa South, Dr Kingsley Agyemang, who is also a public health lecturer at the Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology (KNUST), has led a landmark international study exposing critical gaps in obesity intervention research across sub-Saharan Africa (SSA).
The study, titled “Effectiveness of Obesity Interventions in Sub-Saharan Africa: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analyses,” was recently published in PLOS ONE, a high-impact, peer-reviewed journal.
This comprehensive review and meta-analysis screened over 419,000 academic records, with only seven studies from South Africa meeting the inclusion criteria.
It found that structured physical activity, particularly aerobic and resistance training, reduced overweight and obesity rates by about 34%.
However, these interventions showed no statistically significant impact on waist circumference, a key measure of abdominal obesity.
Dr Agyemang emphasised the narrow geographical scope of the data.
“The fact that all qualifying studies came from one country tells us how far we still need to go. Most of sub-Saharan Africa is operating in a research vacuum when it comes to tackling obesity,” he noted.
He stressed the need for locally relevant solutions to address the obesity challenge.
“Sub-Saharan Africa is battling an obesity epidemic, but without the evidence base to guide interventions. We need solutions that are culturally appropriate and grounded in local realities,” he added.
Professor Peter Agyei-Baffour, Dean of the School of Public Health at KNUST, acknowledged the research as a cutting-edge contribution and highlighted its broader public health implications.
“With obesity threatening both health outcomes and economic development in SSA, we cannot continue relying on borrowed models. This study is a vital step toward building our own evidence base,” he stated.
JKB/MA
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