Nearly half of women in Africa will be obese or overweight by 2030 – study

Women performing a traditional dance at a club in Kigali, Rwanda. One of the causes of the rise in obesity among women in Africa is a more sedentary lifestyle. Photograph: Brian Inganga/AP

An alarming rise in obesity in Africa has been compared with the HIV epidemic, with stigma and lack of treatment having a disproportionate impact on women.

Almost half of women in Africa will be obese or overweight by the end of the decade, according to a recent study by the World Obesity Federation.