Source: Alarming diabetes, BP cases among kids . . .Diets come under scrutiny | The Sunday Mail
Veronica Gwaze
IS my child safe?
This is a question that is increasingly being posed by many parents.
Recently, there has been an increase in the number of children diagnosed with non-communicable diseases (NCDs) such as high blood pressure and diabetes.
Children aged 10 to 14 have been identified by medical experts as the most affected.
According to the World Health Organisation, NCDs, including heart disease, stroke, cancer, diabetes and chronic lung disease, account for 74 percent of all global deaths.
While these lifestyle diseases have traditionally affected older populations, it seems young people are now equally vulnerable.
What could be causing this trend and how can we protect our children?
Some parents consider spoiling children with processed foods like instant porridge, noodles and polony, as well as fast foods like fried chicken, chips and burgers as a status symbol.
However, health experts opine that such a practice exposes them to non-communicable diseases.
They argue that children whose diets regularly include unprocessed meals such as mealie meal/sorghum porridge, sadza (pap) and traditional relishes and fruits develop stronger, more disease-resistant bodies.
Traditional maheu/mageu/amaheu, a non-alcoholic, often homemade drink made from thin, slightly fermented maize meal or sorghum porridge, is considered a healthier alternative to fizzy drinks and concentrated juices.
Similarly, due to the advent of technology, most children now rarely engage in physical activity. They spend most of their time indoors, glued to screens, which is detrimental to their physical health.
Shift
In September, the country commemorated the second anniversary of the death of veteran and inimitable actress Mai Sorobhi, born Rhoda Mtembe.
The late artiste initially suffered a hypertension-induced stroke in 2019. When she seemed to have partially recovered, she was hit by another stroke and eventually succumbed to the condition on September 12, 2022 at the Sally Mugabe Central Hospital. She was aged 79.
Her passing away was a poignant reminder of the growing health crisis affecting not only the elderly but also younger generations. While hypertension has traditionally been linked to ageing, the increasing number of young people diagnosed with this condition is alarming.
Studies show that the prevalence of stroke, often linked to diabetes, high blood pressure and peripheral arterial disease, increases with age.
However, high blood pressure and other lifestyle diseases like cancer and diabetes are now increasingly affecting young people. A recent case involves a nine-year-old boy from Luveve, Bulawayo, who now requires daily medication to manage his hypertension. In another case, 10-year-old Tadiwa (name changed) was diagnosed with Type 1 diabetes earlier this year.
His mother, Naume Shereketo, a local vendor and single mother of two, noticed that her son was frequently ill and unable to attend school. She initially dismissed his symptoms, assuming they were an indication of a minor ailment, but was devastated to learn of his diagnosis.
“I started noticing that something was not right when he would vomit and complain of feeling weak. Initially, I thought it was a minor health complication,” she said.
“However, I was shocked when the doctors eventually confirmed that he was diabetic because there is no history of such a disease from both sides of his family.”
Tadiwa’s mother faces significant financial burdens. She must allocate at least US$100 monthly to provide him with medication and a specialised diet rich in high-fibre foods, vegetables and fruits.
Dr Maureen Ndlela confirmed encountering unusual cases this year, including that of a 13-year-old girl who experienced a minor stroke and was subsequently diagnosed with hypertension.
“I had two other cases of youths aged 19 and 23 but this one of a 13-year-old shocked me, especially considering that none of her parents battles hypertension. This naturally means it is not an issue of inheriting the condition,” she said.
“Of late, children are also getting Type 2 diabetes, which I believe is due to poor eating habits among children because they now eat more processed and unhealthy foods.”
Trend
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Health: Diabetes, a silent menaceHigh blood pressure and diabetes are now recognised as being among the leading chronic diseases in Zimbabwe. If left untreated, these conditions can lead to severe health complications such as heart disease and stroke.
A study conducted between October 2021 and June 2022 involving 16 883 young people from Harare, Bulawayo and Mashonaland East provinces revealed alarming rates of hypertension and high-normal blood pressure. The research showed that 7,4 percent of participants were diagnosed with hypertension, with rates as high as 10 percent among those aged 24 and younger.
Additionally, 12,2 percent of participants exhibited high-normal blood pressure, a precursor to hypertension.
These findings were led by researcher Dr Kalpana Sabapathy.
Roots
Dr Nadin Sithole, a general practitioner, noted hypertension can be classified as primary or secondary, with the former often inherited.
“Cases of primary hypertension in children have been on the increase over the recent past. It is mostly children who are overweight or obese or those who have a family history of high blood pressure that are affected,” she said.
Secondary hypertension, she added, is caused by underlying conditions such as kidney disease, narrowing of the arteries to the kidneys and congenital heart defects, among others.
Dr Takudzwa Mutsvanga attributes the rising rates of hypertension and diabetes among children to deteriorating lifestyles, sedentary habits and poor parenting practices. He suggested the increasing number of working couples often leads to inadequate meal preparation for children, resulting in reliance on unhealthy fast foods and snacks. Some parents believe feeding children with specific types of food serves as an indicator of affluence.
The use of too much cooking oil was also singled out as a potential health hazard.
“As Africans, our physiology was designed in such a way that our bodies process raw food for longevity. For example, the roughage in sadza.
“This means if one decides to feed their child with fizzy drinks, the sugar they are taking in by drinking 300ml can be equal to the amount they should be digesting in three days in a proper meal. As a result, the body ends up overloaded with sugars and chemicals from these foods and some of these chemicals are implicated as cancer sources,” he said.
Dr Mutsvanga also highlighted the role of sedentary lifestyles in the development of diabetes and hypertension.
Many children and young people, he noted, spend excessive time on screens, limiting their physical activity.
However, the health practitioner argued that, while these health issues appear they are increasingly becoming prevalent, it is important to recognise that they have been present for some time, even in previous generations.
“Back in the day, we had these cases, although in lesser numbers. Due to lack of advanced diagnostic machines, some of the cases were never discovered,” he added.
“In most cases, families or communities would speculate and come up with all sorts of myths like ‘arohwa nezvinhu’, so the person would eventually die without receiving medical attention.”
Coping
Dr Kennedy Muonwa explained some of the challenges faced in managing children with non-communicable diseases in the country due to lack of community support and awareness. Many communities still lack understanding of the fact that young children can be affected by such conditions.
“Most of the time these children are brought for diagnosis late, and even after medical attention, acceptance by the parents and the community is not easy.
“In some cases, they disregard medical advice and tend to believe that it has all to do with curses and other issues, hence opting for traditional remedies,” said Dr Muonwa.
Limited understanding of diabetes among many communities poses significant challenges in maintaining strict insulin regimens and dietary restrictions for children with the condition.
Type 2 diabetes, in particular, can be linked to poor diet and lifestyle choices.
“When a person, especially a child, is diagnosed with a chronic disease, automatically they need to start long-term treatment,” he said.
Nutritionist Tawanda Mangwanya emphasised the role of dietary components like sodium, potassium, calcium, magnesium, fibre and fish oil in blood pressure regulation. He stressed the importance of modifying these components to control blood pressure effectively.
“High-fat, high-cholesterol, high-calorie foods are bad for the body; they lead to a fatty plaque buildup on the blood vessel walls, which narrows the arteries and forces the heart to work harder to push enough blood to your extremities,” he said.
“There is a need to reduce fatty foods. Low-fat dairy products are beneficial for lowering blood pressure.”
Shingirayi Magomo, a nutritionist at a local gym, emphasised this point, highlighting that a diet high in sodium and low in potassium significantly increases the risk of high blood pressure.
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