Fitness classes help elderly Ugandan women fight rising rates of obesity and diabetes

Elderly Ugandan women exercise together to fight lifestyle diseases

JINJA, Uganda – Wearing floor-length dresses and wrap-around skirts, the group of elderly women giggle and tease each other as they jog in pairs, hand in hand, across a playing field in Kivubuka, a village in eastern Uganda.

The exercise class is part of a project aimed at reducing increasing rates of noncommunicable diseases such as hypertension, diabetes and heart disease and has attracted more than 1,000 people since it began five years ago.

While famine and malnutrition remain major concerns in several African countries, obesity is increasingly on the march, especially among Ugandan women.

Jane Anonyaalaba, a grandmother, is one of those looking to buck the trend. She used to struggle with high blood pressure, persistent aches and occasional paralysis in her limbs.

“I would breathe with difficulty. Climbing a hill was almost impossible,” the 70-year-old said.

Now, she bends over double to whack three tennis balls with a cricket bat before running between a set of blue plastic wickets.

Continue reading with Eandel

Subscribe to unlock the complete story and receive your subscriber benefits.

Subscribe Now Sign in

Continue reading with Eandel

Stay Informed. Be Part of the Story.