Data from South Africa has shown that&nbsp;<a rel="noreferrer noopener" aria-label=" (opens in a new tab)" href="https://www.iol.co.za/lifestyle/health/sa-a-growing-nation-of-obese-adults-1763279" target="_blank">over two thirds of young women</a> are overweight and obese. This predisposes them to non-communicable diseases such as diabetes and hypertension. Most women are not exercising enough, and consumption of processed and calorie-dense foods and high amounts of sugar is common.



It was this knowledge that sparked the establishment of the&nbsp;<a rel="noreferrer noopener" aria-label=" (opens in a new tab)" href="http://ahd.ca/research/helti-south-africa" target="_blank">Health Life Trajectories Initiative</a>. It’s being run in South Africa, India, China and Canada and aims to provide interventions that can help young women stay healthy before, during and after pregnancy. 



In South Africa, this randomised controlled trial will provide one-on-one support as well as peer group sessions to over 6000 young women. The idea is provide them with information, and to help them set and maintain goals for healthier lifestyles.



Researchers from the Medical Research Council and Wits University’s&nbsp;<a rel="noreferrer noopener" aria-label=" (opens in a new tab)" href="https://www.wits.ac.za/dphru/" target="_blank">Developmental Pathways for Health Research Unit</a>&nbsp;are running the South African arm of the study. We wanted to start by better understanding our target population – that is, young women aged between 18 and 24 living in Soweto. 



READ MORE | <a rel="noreferrer noopener" aria-label="Local Solutions Can Boost Healthier Food Choices In South Africa (opens in a new tab)" href="https://www.forbesafrica.com/health/2019/03/15/local-solutions-can-boost-healthier-food-choices-in-south-africa/" target="_blank">Local Solutions Can Boost Healthier Food Choices In South Africa</a>



Soweto is a large, densely populated urban township which comprises one third of Johannesburg’s population. Soweto is becoming rapidly urbanised, but the majority of people are still very poor and struggle to provide food for their families.



<a href="https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S1499404619301782" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener" aria-label=" (opens in a new tab)">We conducted</a>&nbsp;a series of focus group discussions and in depth interviews to unravel health behaviours, barriers and facilitators to wellbeing and health with young women from Soweto who had not yet had a child. We also asked them about what sorts of interventions they’d prefer to support and guide them.



The women offered important insights that showed it’s not enough to simply promote healthy eating and exercise without considering the very real environmental and structural constraints present in South Africa.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading">Barriers to healthy choices</h2>



The 29 participants spoke about many different facets of health. These included happiness and mental wellbeing, faith, social support, body image, and lifestyle behaviours.



They identified many barriers to healthy eating, among them the cost of and access to healthy food options. Some women also said they had little access to exercise facilities such as gyms and were afraid to exercise on the streets because they feared being assaulted or harassed. One woman said:



<blockquote class="wp-block-quote is-layout-flow wp-block-quote-is-layout-flow">No, I don’t feel safe because we have drug addicts, traffic, women trafficking: it’s not safe for us to walk in the streets.</blockquote>



The women we interviewed painted a picture of an environment in which healthy behaviours are difficult to implement or sustain. One said:



<blockquote class="wp-block-quote is-layout-flow wp-block-quote-is-layout-flow">Small businesses that are opening up in my community and they all sell fries, literally they just all sell fries…</blockquote>



Women told us that cheap and unhealthy fast foods are on every street corner: “bunny chow” – hollowed out bread stuffed with curry – vetkoek (a fried dough bread stuffed with different fillings) and fried chips are affordable and available within a few steps of most houses. As a result, women did not want to go out of their way to purchase healthier, more expensive foods.



Our interviewees also didn’t feel able to demand that healthier food be bought for their homes, because many were not contributing financially and were therefore not in a position to control food purchases. Women reported being financially dependant on relatives and male partners.



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<h2 class="wp-block-heading">Exercise</h2>



They also said that opportunities for physical activity were neither provided nor prioritised for women in Soweto. Some women said that a lack of facilities made it difficult for them to participate in any exercise, as they did not have access to gyms or fields to exercise.



Other women told us that there were gyms, sports grounds, parks, and even free aerobics classes at community halls in their area. However these facilities often get vandalised quickly, and can no longer be used. More importantly, they didn’t feel safe enough to exercise on the streets, perhaps by jogging or running. They also felt unsafe walking around in leggings or tights. Women were fearful of human trafficking, sexual assault, and violence –&nbsp;<a href="http://www.samj.org.za/index.php/samj/article/view/12218" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener" aria-label=" (opens in a new tab)">very real issues in this community</a>.



Crucially, our research found that young women did not see obesity as a sufficient reason to change their behaviour. But they said they would be motivated to exercise and eat better if they were diagnosed with a non-communicable disease like diabetes.



This suggests that obesity has become normalised in South Africa – and this needs to be addressed.



<h2 class="wp-block-heading">Policy interventions</h2>



These findings are now being worked into our interventions, and we are cognisant of the contextual realities that may affect young women’s ability to change their lifestyles. We hope that this research, along with whatever findings emerge from our interventions, will inform policy makers and motivate them to implement necessary changes in this community.



Women in Soweto and in South Africa in general need support to live healthier lifestyles. This support needs to come from policy makers. If South Africa does not step up and support young women by providing them with access to safe spaces and affordable healthier foods, and by controlling the oversupply of unhealthy options, the country may not be able to curb its ever increasing rise in obesity and related non-communicable diseases.



-Alessandra Prioreschi: Associate Director and Researcher at the Developmental Pathways for Health Research Unit (DPHRU), University of the Witwatersrand



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Young women in Soweto, South Africa, say healthy living is hard. Here’s why

CrossFit is a form of functional exercise fast gaining popularity among fitness enthusiasts across the world, and that   is now taking Africa by storm.
Also promoted as a competitive fitness sport, CrossFit incorporates high-intensity training, including Olympic weightlifting, plyometric exercises, powerlifting, gymnastics and calisthenics. Founded by Greg Glassman and Lauren Jenai of the United States (US), it has over 9,000 affiliates worldwide, most of which are in the US. Africa is a relative newcomer to CrossFit, yet there are already 119 affiliates in South Africa alone.
CrossFit prepares your body for real-life situations involving strength, fitness and endurance, and it’s widely accepted that those who do this type of training are the fittest. This idea was created after the CrossFit community founded The CrossFit Games, a competitive event that claims the winner is ‘the fittest on earth’. Based on programs used to train policemen, firemen and military forces, one of the biggest things it drives is a sense of community.
Many women are reluctant to try it, but South African Nicole Seymour, who holds the title of ‘the second fittest woman in Africa’, speaks about how she overcame her fears, and how her goal is to become a competitive international athlete:
<ol>
<li>What made you take to CrossFit?</li>
<li>We were at home flicking through channels on ESPN and happened to come across the Games. It was awesome to see people doing crazy things and pushing their bodies to the limits. I love challenges and I remember saying to my husband that is something I would love to do. Shortly after, I fell pregnant with my second child so the Games became a distant dream. The following year, my husband decided to enter me into the opens so he didn’t leave me a choice. I was nervous but excited.</li>
<li>What can you say with regard to women in CrossFit?</li>
<li>I think it allows women to feel empowered and realize what they are capable of. Both men and women are treated equally. It’s phenomenal how CrossFit has changed so many lives. You get out of CrossFit what you want. You need to progress slowly and make it a lifestyle. It takes you back to your childhood and activities that everyone should naturally be able to do.</li>
<li>Your thoughts on the stigma that ‘women who lift are masculine’?</li>
<li>It is one of the biggest misconceptions. I say, try it and find out for yourself. Either you love it or you hate it. I have yet to find a lady that regrets starting CrossFit as it really impacts on so many areas of your life. You will find everyday activities such as carrying kids, shopping etc a lot easier and less stressful and your overall quality of life will improve.</li>
</ol>
I love muscles, so for me, it’s awesome. The most important part is to be happy and content with yourself. I can honestly say my physique is a lot smaller, leaner and more athletic since I have been doing CrossFit.
<ol>
<li>Has your outlook of CrossFit changed?</li>
<li>It’s a very humbling sport. Some of the workouts are so deceptive, they look easy but you soon find out otherwise. There is honestly no space for arrogance in this sport. One minute you are up and the next you are down. Anything can happen.</li>
<li>Do you believe CrossFit is the future of fitness in Africa?</li>
<li>I do. It really takes you back to the ‘caveman days’. It is such a fun way of getting fit and active and the best part of all is you’re not doing it alone. There is generally a group of people next to you sweating and working just as hard as you.</li>
</ol>

Tag: Exercise

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Young women in Soweto, South Africa, say healthy living is hard. Here’s why

The Fittest Women On Earth