The 2012 SANHANES report (South African National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey) states:
- 16.5%Among children aged 2‐14 years, the prevalence of overweight and obesity was significantly higher in girls (16.5% and 7.1%) than in boys (11.5% and 4.7%).
- 18.9%Overweight and obesity prevalence was highest in the 2-5 year age group; the respective percentages were 18.9% and 4.9% for girls and 17.5% and 4.4% for boys.
- 16.7%Among 10-14 year olds, overweight and obesity were again higher in girls (16.7% and 5.6%) than boys (7.5% and 2.7%). While the age groups did not match exactly (SANHANES: 2‐5 years vs. National Food Consumption Survey (NFCS) 2005, 1‐3 and 4‐6 years combined), they were close enough to be compared.
- 18.2%Over almost a decade, the prevalence (sexes combined) of overweight has increased, from 10.6% to 18.2%, while that of obesity remained unchanged (4.5% and 4.7%).
- 23.6kgOverall, South African males had a mean body mass index (BMI) of 23.6kg/m2 which was significantly lower than that of females (28.9kg/m2)
- 24.8%The prevalence of overweight and obesity was significantly higher in females (24.8% and 39.2%) than males.
- 68.2%The study found that 20.2% of males and 68.2% of females had a waist circumference that placed them at risk of metabolic complications.
- 6.8%Similar results were seen for waist hip ratio (6.8% for males and 47.1% for females).
When compared to the 2003 South African Demographic and Health Survey (SADHS), the study showed that the percentage of people who were underweight or had a normal weight decreased, while overweight and obesity increased.- 27%Obesity increased substantially in females, from 27% in 2003 to 39.2% in 2012.
- 39.7%Two out of five participants (39.7%) consumed a diet low in dietary diversity indicative of a diet of poor nutritional quality.
- 18.3%Almost one out of five participants consumed a diet with a high fat score (18.3%) and high sugar score (19.7%), and one out of four consumed a diet with a low fruit and vegetable score (25.6%).
The dietary intake of participants in SANHANES‐1 reflects the picture of a country in the nutrition transition and urbanisation.- 5.26%On average, South African adults had a medium (5.26) general nutritional knowledge score out of a total of 9 points, with only one in five (22.6%) achieving a high score, the majority (62.9%) achieving a medium score and 14.5% achieving low scores.
- 62.1%Nearly two thirds of adult females and males (62.1% and 65.8%, respectively) believed they drink and eat healthily, so there is no need for them to make changes in their diet.
- 48%Almost half (48.0%) of adult South Africans reported that they eat outside the home, and 28.7% reporting doing so monthly, 20.3% more than once a month, and 28.3%weekly.
- 76.4%The majority of females (76.4%) did the grocery shopping in the household. The price of food was the major determinant (64.5%) in relation to purchasing food, followed by taste (17.5%) with only approximately one in seven women considering health aspects(14.3%) when buying food.
