Dar es Salaam — THE growing burden of noncommunicable diseases (NCDs) has become one of Tanzania’s most pressing public health challenges, with obesity emerging as a major risk factor behind the rising number of people diagnosed with diabetes, hypertension, heart disease and certain types of cancer.
Health experts say changing lifestyles, unhealthy diets rich in sugar, salt and unhealthy fats, coupled with reduced physical activity, are contributing to an increase in overweight and obesity among both adults and children, threatening to reverse gains made in improving the country’s overall health.
According to the World Health Organisation (WHO), Tanzania is experiencing a growing burden of obesity, with 12.6 per cent of adults aged 18 years and above living with obesity in 2022, based on agestandardised estimates.
The same WHO data shows that 1.8 per cent of children and adolescents aged between five and 19 years were living with obesity during the same year, indicating that the challenge is no longer confined to adults but is increasingly affecting younger populations.
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Public health experts warn that obesity significantly increases the risk of developing non-communicable diseases, which are becoming one of the leading causes of illness and premature death globally. Besides affecting people’s health, these conditions also impose enormous economic costs through increased healthcare expenditure, reduced productivity and loss of income for families.
Recognising these growing challenges, Tanzania is strengthening efforts to prevent obesity while continuing to address undernutrition through evidencebased policies, public awareness campaigns and healthier food environments.
The country’s progress was presented during a government leaders’ panel discussion at the International Congress on Obesity (ICO) held in Mexico, where the Permanent Secretary in the Ministry of Health, Dr Grace Magembe, shared Tanzania’s achievements, challenges and strategies in tackling all forms of malnutrition.
“Tanzania has continued to strengthen measures to address malnutrition while at the same time curbing the rising burden of overweight, obesity and diet-related non-communicable diseases in order to reduce the health and economic impacts associated with these conditions,” Dr Magembe said.
She said Tanzania recognises that addressing obesity requires coordinated action involving healthcare services, food systems, research institutions, education and community participation. One of the Government’s major interventions is encouraging people to know their health status before complications develop.
“One of the key initiatives being implemented by the Government is the ‘Know Your Numbers’ campaign, launched by the Minister for Health, Mr Mohamed Mchengerwa. The campaign encourages citizens to regularly check their blood pressure, blood sugar levels, body weight, height and waist circumference to enable early detection of risk factors for noncommunicable diseases and ensure timely prevention and treatment,” she said.
The campaign seeks to encourage Tanzanians to adopt preventive healthcare by regularly monitoring indicators associated with obesity and chronic diseases. Health experts believe many people are diagnosed with hypertension and diabetes only after complications have already developed, making treatment more difficult and expensive.
Routine screening allows individuals to identify health risks earlier and adopt healthier lifestyles, including improving their diets, increasing physical activity and seeking medical care before diseases progress. Besides promoting healthy lifestyles, Tanzania is also investing in scientific evidence to guide national nutrition policies.
“The government has invested in generating scientific evidence to support informed policymaking. This includes conducting the National Investment Case Assessment for the Prevention of Overweight and Obesity, assessing the nutritional quality of packaged foods available on the market and carrying out studies on consumer understanding of nutrition information displayed on food packaging,” Dr Magembe said.
The National Investment Case Assessment is expected to provide policymakers with evidence on the most cost-effective interventions for preventing overweight and obesity while demonstrating the long-term economic benefits of investing in prevention rather than treatment.
The government has also assessed the nutritional quality of packaged foods sold in Tanzania to better understand the availability of products high in sugar, salt and unhealthy fats. At the same time, consumer studies are helping authorities determine whether nutrition information currently displayed on food packaging is easily understood by the public.
The findings are expected to support stronger food policies that encourage healthier consumer choices. Another important milestone, according to Dr Magembe, is the development of national tools that will guide future food regulations.
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“Tanzania has developed a National Nutrient Profile Model and has also participated in developing the East African Community Regional Nutrient Profile Model. These frameworks will provide the basis for policies on front-of-pack warning labels, regulating the marketing of unhealthy foods, especially to children and improving school food environments,” she said.
The National Nutrient Profile Model classifies foods according to their nutritional quality and provides scientific criteria for identifying products high in sugar, salt and saturated fats.
The framework is expected to support the introduction of front-of-pack nutrition warning labels, enabling consumers to make informed purchasing decisions at a glance. It will also provide the foundation for regulating the marketing of unhealthy foods to children, who are increasingly exposed to advertising for highly processed food products.
Health experts say children are particularly vulnerable because eating habits developed during childhood often continue into adulthood, increasing the risk of obesity and chronic diseases later in life. Improving school food environments is also considered a key strategy, ensuring children have access to healthier meals while reducing the availability of foods high in sugar, salt and unhealthy fats within and around schools.
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Dr Magembe said the country’s achievements have been made possible through broad collaboration among different stakeholders.
She said, “these achievements have been made possible through close collaboration between the Government, research institutions, higher learning institutions, civil society organisations and development partners.” Dr Magembe added that continued collaboration will be essential in expanding evidencebased interventions capable of reducing obesity and improving nutrition outcomes across the country.
The International Congress on Obesity brought together government leaders, researchers, policymakers, public health specialists and development partners from around the world to exchange experiences and discuss practical solutions to the global obesity epidemic.
For Tanzania, participation in the congress provided an opportunity to share its experiences while learning from countries implementing successful obesity prevention programmes, including nutrition labelling, healthier food policies and public education campaigns.
As obesity continues to rise globally, health experts say preventing non-communicable diseases will require sustained investment in healthier food systems, stronger public awareness, regular health screening and policies that make healthy choices easier for everyone.
For Tanzania, these efforts are expected not only to improve public health but also to reduce the growing economic burden associated with treating chronic diseases, helping the country build a healthier and more productive population.