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‘Globesity’ – A Big Global Epidemic Globesity, a term coined by the World Health Organisation (WHO), refers to the escalating worldwide obesity epidemic. The classifications of being overweight or obese can be defined as “abnormal or excessive fat accumulation that may impair health” (WHO 2017).  Being overweight versus being obese is largely determined by a person’s Body Mass Index (BMI) which is a simple index of weight-for-height. In order to calculate a person’s BMI, weight (in kilograms) is divided by the square of the person’s height in metres: (kg/m2). An overweight adult is one that has a BMI greater than, or equal to 25, whereas an obese adult is a person with a BMI of 30 and above. In children, being overweight and [...]

The Real Scoop On Poop The first thought when recycling comes to mind generally involves the re-appropriation and reuse of conventional materials such as plastic and paper-based products. The necessity and desire to recycle these materials is founded on the excessive general daily demand, consumption and production of all these products. However, the city of Durban, South Africa, is embarking on an even more ambitious recycling endeavour by utilising urine as a form of fertilizer and turning faecal matter into fly larvae feed which will, in turn, be utilised as feed for poultry and fish farms. A lack of access to adequate sanitation and exposure to raw sewerage is a well-known and acknowledged issue in South Africa. Approximately 1.5 million children in South [...]

Vaping: all hot air, or a cause for concern? Vaping by now is not a new trend but has become increasingly popular over the past few years as a cigarette alternative, as well as a social smoking movement in its own right. Vaping, in essence, is the act of inhaling the vapour produced by a device such as an e-cigarette or vapouriser. The vapour that is inhaled originates from a specially formulated e-liquid or concentrate that mostly contains nicotine as well as a flavouring component. The vast appeal of vaping is associated with the fact that it is seen as being a ‘cleaner’ substitute for smoking in that a vaporiser or e-cigarette usually has a sleek, visually appealing exterior, it produces a thicker [...]

World Diabetes Day 2017: Women & Diabetes World Diabetes Day, observed annually on the 14th of November has a different theme every year in order to shed light on the condition, its latest medical developments, as well as how best to cope with the disorder and sustain a healthy lifestyle. This year’s theme is Women and Diabetes. The statistics supplied by the International Diabetes Federation show that there are over 199 million women worldwide currently living with diabetes. This total is predicted to rise substantially to 313 million by 2040. This year’s theme of Women and Diabetes is particularly pertinent as the impact of diabetes on women is largely exacerbated by social stressors such as “gender roles and power dynamics [that] influence [and [...]

Disposable plastics; is this the last straw? Consider this; it takes 200 years for a plastic straw to break down completely. This means that every time we purchase and consume a beverage (most of which don’t actually require a straw), we are inadvertently creating a demand for a plastic product that will most likely only be used once, for a very short amount of time – but yet will remain a part of this planet long after we are gone. According to National Geographic magazine, Americans use a projected 500 million straws daily, each one with a lifespan of almost two centuries. The necessity to eradicate such an unassumingly harmful and insidious pollutant is therefore evident. Our reliance on excessive and largely unnecessary [...]

Hartebeespoort Hyacinth Crisis Continues Eichhornia crassipes (E. crassipes), more commonly known as water hyacinth, is often considered to be the world’s worst aquatic weed. According to the Agricultural Research Council (ARC): it has gained its reputation as such due to its “invasive potential, negative impact on aquatic ecosystems, and the cost it necessitates to control it.” The water hyacinth can be classified as a herbaceous, free-floating aquatic plant that produces attractive lilac flowers and has submerged roots and doubles every 11 to 18 days. Once the water hyacinth has grown sufficiently, it is able to entangle its petioles (the spongy, bulbous part of the plant) with other water hyacinths around it. By doing so, they are able to form a dense ‘mat’ which [...]