Saudi Arabia and U.A.E. tackle child obesity

Mona El-Fiki
For Al-Shorfa.com
2008-09-02

A restaurant sign reads “Welcome” in both English and Arabic in Dubai, United Arab Emirates. (Photo by Chris Hondros/Getty Images).

Health experts in Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates are concerned about their countries’ increasing consumption of fast food and high obesity rates.

A new study has found that Saudis account for almost 75 percent of the total volume of fast food consumed in the Gulf region, with the United Arab Emirates coming in second, according to an August 19, 2008 Gulf News article.

The study by the Gulf Organisation for Industrial Consulting found that the Gulf fast food industry has been growing dramatically, with 29 out of 60 Gulf fast food factories operating in Saudi Arabia, while the United Arab Emirates has invested around $11.1 million [USD] in its fast food industry.

A survey by the World Health Organisation has found that the United Arab Emirates has the world’s second-highest rate of adult onset diabetes, with 19.5 percent of its population afflicted by the disease, according to a January 2, 2008 BBC News article.

Saudi Arabia has the third highest obesity rate in the world, with 35.6 percent of its adult population considered obese, according to the same report. The United Arab Emirates comes in fourth with an obesity rate of 33.7 percent.

Health officials believe the luxurious Saudi lifestyle is to blame for the country’s sky-high obesity rates.

Saudi Arabians prefer rich, meat-based food, and their addiction to TV and the internet means they are rarely physically active. There is little cultural awareness of the benefits of healthy eating and exercise

“We're a very affluent society, so we have the luxury not to have to move,” Yasmin al-Tuwaijri, an epidemiologist in Riyadh, told The Associated Press on May 18, 2006.

“Healthy eating is simply not something people learn here,” says 25-year-old schoolteacher Omneya Shohayeb. “All the kids at my school eat junk food, and even though the school tries to teach them healthy eating, they still go home and eat junk food there. I can understand why so many kids here [in Saudi Arabia] are overweight.”

The U.A.E.’s culture is quite similar to that of Saudi Arabia, where most families prefer to eat out in restaurants or order-in fast food, as opposed to preparing healthy meals at home.

“My wife and I work long hours, so we’re always ordering in fast food or eating out,” explains 28-year old engineer Khaled Hamdy. “It’s part of the Dubai culture to eat in restaurants. The last thing on your mind is diet food.”

A recent report by the U.S.-based Centre for Science in the Public Interest found that 93 percent of kids’ meals at restaurant chains in the United Arab Emirates were unhealthy, at 430 calories above the recommended intake for children, according to Gulf News.

Nutrition expert Dr. Amita Attlee told Gulf News that food portions at restaurants were just as unhealthy as those at fast food outlets.

“Children are eating much more in a serving than they should,” she said, adding that such kids’ meals could be one of the reasons behind the high obesity and disease rates among children in the United Arab Emirates.

A 2006 survey by the UAE Ministry of Health found that around 10 percent of 15-year-olds were obese, according to Gulf News.

Poor eating habits and a sedentary lifestyle among children have led to an increase in chronic conditions that normally affect adults, such as hypertension, Type II (adult onset) diabetes and even heart disease.

“Kids here are less active than those in the US, partly because of the weather and the lack of facilities. It's compounding the problem,” Attlee said to Gulf News, adding that the best way to fight obesity was to start at home.

“It is better to eat home-cooked foods,” she said. “You can control the quantity and quality … you can also substitute some ingredients with healthier options.”

In recent years, the Saudi government has started educating its citizens about the dangers of obesity: In 2006, Saudi newspapers began publishing tips on healthy eating and exercise, while the Health Ministry joined forces with a local organisation, Al-Nahda Philanthropic Society for Women, in a campaign to encourage Saudis to start moving.

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