Every evening, Evelyne Uwineza, a 42-year-old lawyer who specialises in taxation, walks from Remera to Kigali Business Centre (KBC) in Kimihurura and back.

The resident of Remera believes that this will help her contain weight, keep fit and above, all fight off lifestyle diseases such as hypertension and diabetes.

"My family has a history of hypertension and diabetes, so I have come up with measures like regular intensive physical activity, so as not fall victim,” she says.

Available statistics show that non-communicable diseases, that include lifestyle diseases, pose a big threat to life among Rwandans, accounting for about 29 per cent of all deaths in the country in 2008.

And Rwandans seem to be taking the threat seriously. A tour on any of Kigali’s main roads, either very early in the morning or late in the evening, will lead to an encounter with groups or individuals either on a walk or jogging.

Uwineza is one of the many urban Rwandans who are taking to working out, so as to beat off these opportunistic and life-threatening diseases.

Dennis Dybdal, the managing director of Waka Fitness, a high-end gym based in Kimihurura, says there has been a surge in the number of clients at his facility that charges a monthly fee of Rwf 68,000.

"Six months ago, we were handling between 20-30 people daily, but this number has grown to 120 today,” he said.

Dybdal noted that 60 percent of his clients seek to shed off excess body fat (obesity), which doctors say is a precursor of many lifestyle illnesses, including cancers. Statistics on obesity

"Central obesity leads to increase in resistance to insulin produced in body, which increases risk of diabetes, high blood pressure, high lipid levels and heart problems,” says Dr Rachna Pande, a specialist in internal medicine at Ruhengeri Hospital.

She says one can be considered obese when their body mass index (BMI) is more than 25 or waist hip ratio more than 0.85 in women and 0.90 in men.

There has an increase in the number of overweight people worldwide from 857 million in 1980 to 2.1 billion in 2013, according to a study by the University of Washington’s Institute of Health Metrics. More than half the number of obese people in the world live in poor countries, according to "Future Diets, a report that presents an analysis of what the world eats.

Dr Pande says the shift in state of affairs is attributed to change in lifestyle among people in developing countries, with increasing affluence such as taking foods with more sugar and fats, lack of exercise or even walking, and sedentary lifestyles like sitting for long.

Other factors behind the increase in obesity include rising incomes and urbanisation, which tend to lead to diets rich in animal produce, fat, salt and sugar.

"Whereas in developed countries people are aware of risks of obesity, hence try to avoid it by proper diets and regular physical exercises, people in developing countries are still largely ignorant about it,” Pande said in a previous interview. Threat to babies

Additionally, researchers from the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine, who analysed data from 27 countries in Africa, say the sharp rise in maternal obesity is threatening the lives of new-borns. Babies born to obese mothers have a 50 per cent higher risk of dying in the first month.

According to research published in the Lancet medical journal last month, a higher BMI increases the risk of developing 10 of the most common cancers—such as cancer of the uterus, gallbladder, kidney, cervix, thyroid and leukemia (blood cancer). Higher BMI also increased the overall risk of liver, colon, ovarian, and breast cancers.

"Although the relationship between cancer and obesity is complex, it is clear carrying excess weight increases your risk of developing cancer. Keeping a healthy weight reduces cancer risk and the best way to do this is through eating a healthy, balanced diet and exercising regularly,” Tom Stansfeld, of the Cancer Research UK, is quoted saying.   Tackling the concern

In Rwanda, the most prevalent are cardiovascular diseases, which accounted for 12 per cent of total deaths across all age groups in 2008. Cancers, non-communicable variants of respiratory diseases and diabetes contributed five per cent, three per cent and two per cent to total mortality respectively (2008).

Rwanda Biomedical Centre (RBC) is sensitising people to do physical exercises, as well as to value to essence of a healthy diet.

"We don’t have statistics of the number of obese people in the country, but we know that we have such kind of people. And a number of measures are in place to counter it,” says Dr Marie Aime Muhimpundu, the director of Non Communicable Diseases Division at RBC.

The government has dedicated Friday afternoons as sports time to give civil servants time for gym or any other physical exercises.

Francois Ngamije, the director of SOS Obesity, an association of obese people in Kigali, says it will require concerted efforts from all stakeholders to ensure that families understand the importance of having a healthy diet as well as good lifestyle.

According to Dr Cory Couillard, an international health columnist, who works with the World Health Organization, up to 80 percent of heart disease, Type Two Diabetes and 40 per cent of cancer cases could be prevented with improved dietary choices and adequate physical activity.

"Physical activity and exercise is needed for all - regardless of weight, health condition or age - to achieve optimal health and fight off disease. Strive to get at least 30 minutes of physical activity on most days of the week - the more the better.”

Lifestyle diseases push Rwandans to exercise