Experts warn of growing nutrition crisis in workplaces as sedentary lifestyles fuel disease

16 March 2026, 10:54 am

Byamukama Alozious

Nutrition experts have warned that changing work patterns and sedentary lifestyles are contributing to a growing nutrition crisis in Uganda, with poor dietary habits in workplaces increasingly linked to rising cases of obesity, hypertension, diabetes and other non-communicable diseases.

Speaking ahead of the inaugural Workplace Nutrition Summit, nutritionists and health experts said many employees now consume most of their daily meals while at work, making workplace environments a critical space for improving nutrition and health outcomes.

Atugonza Moreen Doreen, a nutritionist at Nutrition Garage, said the modern work environment is shaping what people eat and how their bodies respond to food. She noted that while people spend long hours at work and often eat most of their meals there, this also presents an opportunity to influence healthier dietary choices.

“A normal human being eats two to three meals a day, but many people are now having most of their meals while at work,” she said. “This means that what you eat is largely determined by your work environment, but it also presents an opportunity. If workplaces are well organized, they can provide solutions that promote healthier eating.”

Doreen explained that Uganda’s traditional diet evolved around physically demanding activities such as farming and other labour-intensive work, which required high energy intake from carbohydrates. However, she said the nature of work has changed significantly.

“In the past people were moving a lot, walking long distances, farming and doing physical work. Their diets had a lot of carbohydrates because they were using that energy,” she said. “But today many workplaces involve sitting for long hours behind computers. People commute using cars or boda bodas and rarely walk. We cannot continue eating the same way our grandparents ate when our physical activity has drastically reduced.”

She said this mismatch between diet and lifestyle is creating new health challenges, forcing experts to rethink nutrition in modern workplaces.

Jenifer Tumukunde CEO nutrition Garage said a major problem today is the lack of knowledge about healthy eating, particularly among workers whose jobs involve minimal physical activity.

He gave the example of boda boda riders who often consume high-energy meals without engaging in significant physical activity. According to him, a rider may begin the day with a cup of porridge, eat a Rolex for lunch and later take a “kicommando” meal for dinner, which is largely carbohydrate-based.

“Someone may feel satisfied after a cup of porridge, but they have ingested a lot of energy that they are not spending,” he explained. “After a few months you will see that rider gaining weight. A person who used to weigh 70 kilograms may reach 90 kilograms, and people will even applaud him thinking he is doing well in the city.”

However, he warned that such weight gain often leads to serious health complications. “Before long the same person starts complaining about ulcers, obesity or other complications. These are the early signs of non-communicable diseases,” he said.

Experts say similar patterns are increasingly common among corporate workers who spend most of their time seated in offices while consuming multiple meals during the day.

Jennifer Tumukunde, added corporate employees are among the groups most affected by poor workplace nutrition.

“A typical corporate employee may have tea at home, then get breakfast at the office, eat lunch, take evening tea and still go home for dinner,” she said. “Yet this is someone who drove to work, sat on a chair the whole day and even used escalators instead of walking.”

She said when the body consumes more energy than it uses, the excess energy is stored as fat, increasing the risk of lifestyle diseases.

“Before you know it someone becomes hypertensive, pre-diabetic or even faces issues such as infertility,” she said. “Many people then start wondering where these problems are coming from.”

Tumukunde said improving nutrition is not necessarily about spending more money on food but about understanding what the body needs.

“We are blessed to live in the tropics where we have plenty of fruits, vegetables and both animal and plant proteins,” she said. “What people need is knowledge to make the right choices based on their level of physical activity.”

To address the growing knowledge gap, Nutrition Garage has organised the first Workplace Nutrition Summit under the theme “Rethinking Nutrition in Today’s Workplace.” The event will take place on March 26 at the Sheraton Hotel in Kampala from 7am to 1pm and will bring together nutrition experts, employers, policymakers and human resource managers.

According to Tumukunde, the summit will explore practical strategies for improving nutrition in workplaces, including how organizations can design healthier staff meals and workplace wellness programs.

“We want employers and HR managers to come into the room and discuss solutions,” she said. “If organizations need advisory support on what meals to serve their staff, we are ready to work with them.”

Health experts say the country is already facing a silent nutrition crisis that is often ignored because many people do not feel immediate pain from poor dietary habits.

He said one way to address the problem is for organizations to consider hiring professional nutritionists to guide workplace feeding programs. “If an organization can employ a receptionist, a human resource officer and other pr