FRSC’s Bicycle Mode Backed By Nutritionists As A Solution To Obesity Crisis

FRSC’s Bicycle Mode Backed By Nutritionists As A Solution To Obesity CrisisCiting the importance of physical activities in reducing the risk of cardiovascular diseases,   nutritionists have backed the call by the Road Safety Corps for the adoption of bicycles as a mode of transportation in Nigeria.....KINDLY READ THE FULL STORY HERE▶

The nutrition experts said the move would reduce the alarming rate of obesity among Nigerians which had been identified by physicians as a risk factor for diabetes, cancer, hypertension, and other cardiovascular diseases

They noted that the physical activity involved in pedaling the bicycle would help burn body fat and improve blood flow and lung health.

The nutritionists further decried the rising rate of obesity in the country, which had a prevalence rate of 11.6 per cent and 23 per cent.

According to the World Health Organisation, obesity is abnormal or excessive fat accumulation that poses a health risk to the individual.

It notes that a body mass index of over 25 is considered overweight and over 30 is obese.

The WHO reports that the rate of overweight and obesity in children and adolescents between the ages of five and 19 increased from two to nine per cent between 1990 and 2022 while that of adults doubled from seven to 16 per cent.

The agency further noted that obesity was a double burden of malnutrition, stating that more people are obese than underweight.

In what seems to be a renewed advocacy towards the adoption of bicycles by Nigerians, the FRSC recently suggested a transition to the use of bicycles for transportation.

In 2023, the Federal Government stated that it was considering the use of bicycles as an alternative means of commuting.

In 2019, the FG and FRSC also mentioned the transition to bicycles.

However, the FRSC’s recent comment came with several knocks and kudos by netizens with some calling for an upgrade in road traffic rules to ensure the safety of the cyclists.

In separate interviews with PUNCH Healthwise, the nutritionists welcomed talks of introducing bicycles as a means of transportation in the country, expressing hope for a reduction in obesity rates.

Providing figures for the obesity rate in Nigeria, a Registered Dietician-Nutritionist, Olusola Malomo, stated that in 2020, the age-adjusted prevalence of obesity was 11.6 per cent, noting that the rate was higher in women than in men.

“The prevalence of obesity in women is estimated to be 23.0 per cent. The prevalence of obesity in men is estimated to be 10.9 per cent.

“The prevalence of obesity is higher in urban areas than in rural areas. In urban areas it is estimated to be 14.4 per cent and in rural areas, 12.1 per cent,” he said.

Malomo decried the rising rate of obesity among urban dwellers, stating that urbanisation, unhealthy lifestyles, consumption of highly processed diets, and demographic changes were factors contributing to the obesity epidemic.