Africa-Press – Zimbabwe. Manicaland Province has emerged as one of the regions with the highest prevalence of thinness among women aged 20 to 49, according to the 2023/24 Zimbabwe Demographic and Health Survey (ZDHS).
The survey was conducted by the Zimbabwe National Statistics Agency (ZIMSTAT) with funding from the Government of Zimbabwe, the United States Agency for International Development (USAID), the United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA), and the Global Fund to Fight AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria.
Technical support was provided by ICF through The DHS Programme, a USAID-funded initiative that assists countries in conducting population and health surveys.The report assessed wasting using the weight-for-height index, a standard measure for identifying acute undernutrition.
Women classified as “thin” had a weight-for-height score below the median of a healthy reference population.
Thinness, the report explains, is often a result of chronic energy deficiency caused by inadequate food intake or diets lacking essential nutrients.
Women of reproductive age (15–49 years) are particularly vulnerable to malnutrition due to a combination of factors, including poor dietary diversity, unequal food distribution within households, food preparation challenges, dietary taboos, infectious diseases, and inadequate healthcare or caregiving practices.
The survey also found notable regional disparities. Masvingo Province recorded the lowest prevalence of thinness at just 3%, while Harare had the highest rate of overweight and obesity among women in the same age group, at 60%. Part of the report reads:
The nutritional status of women 20-49 years old varies by province, with Masvingo having the lowest prevalence of thinness (three percent) and Harare having the highest prevalence of overweight and obesity (60 percent).
Matabeleland North, Matabeleland South, Mashonaland West, and Manicaland had the highest prevalence of thinness (six percent). Mashonaland Central had the lowest prevalence of overweight and obesity (41 percent).
Local dietician Ephert Bhobho has confirmed that Manicaland Province indeed shows a high prevalence of thinness among women, in line with the findings of the 2023/24 Zimbabwe Demographic and Health Survey (ZDHS).
Bhobho noted that the data includes both rural and urban populations, with 58.3% of respondents residing in rural areas and 41.7% in urban centres.
He suggested that religious and socio-economic factors may be contributing to the nutritional challenges, particularly among women.
In Manicaland, approximately 28% of women belong to the apostolic sect, the Johane Marange Church, which permits polygamous marriages.
Such indigenous religious practices often place a huge burden on food production and household nutrition, which could explain the high prevalence of thinness among women in the province.
Nationally, the ZDHS data shows that thinness is most prevalent among younger women aged 20–29 (7%) and least prevalent among those aged 40–49 (3%).
Conversely, overweight and obesity are most common in the older age group (40–49), where prevalence stands at 63%, and lowest in the 20–29 age group at 36%.
The report also highlights urban-rural disparities. Thinness is more common among rural women (6%) than urban women (4%), while overweight and obesity are significantly higher in urban areas (59%) compared to rural areas (45%).
In terms of education, the prevalence of thinness is higher among women with only primary or secondary education (5%), compared to those with education beyond secondary level (3%).
For More News And Analysis About Zimbabwe Follow Africa-Press
