World Obesity Rates that Saudi Arabia is the world 15th most obese country, with an overall obesity rate of 33.7%.
Saudi Arabia is now among the nations with the highest obesity and overweight prevalence rates due to a number of factors. The research reveals that the rate of obesity in Saudi Arabia is significantly high among different age groups and occupations, at different locations in the country, and among both males and females.
The main factors witnessing the increasing trend of obesity in Saudi Arabia include the following reasons:
- Family history.
- Diet pattern.
- Eating habits.
- Genetic factors.
- Marital status.
- Hypertension.
- Lack of physical activities.
However, the major consequences of obesity in Saudi Arabia due to the aforementioned reasons are listed below for further reference:
- Cardiovascular diseases.
- Diabetes.
- Cancers.
- Ischemic heart disease.
Eating too much and moving too little is generally a caused of obesity in Saudi Arabia.
If you consume high amounts of energy, particularly fat and sugars, but don’t burn off the energy through exercise and physical activity, much of the surplus energy will be stored by the body as fat.
The followings are certain eating and drinking habits which have ultimately led to the overall increase in obesity.
- Eating large amounts of processed or fast food: that’s high in fat and sugar.
- Having a meal out a lot: you may be tempted to also have a starter or dessert in a restaurant, and the food can be higher in fat and sugar.
- Consume large portions than you need: you may be encouraged to eat too much if your friends or relatives are also eating large portions.
- Drinking too many sugary drinks: including soft drinks and fruit juice.
- Lack of physical activity: is another important factor related to obesity. Many people have jobs that involve sitting at a desk for most of the day. They also rely on their cars, rather than walking or cycling.
- Stopping smoking: side effects results in obesity.
For relaxation purposes, many people tend to adopt following habits which also impact in the increase of obesity :
- Watching TV.
- Browsing the internet.
- Computer games.
- Rarely taking regular exercise.
Diagnosis
Men
Women
Treatment
Make healthy choices which should consist of:
- plenty of fruit and vegetables
- plenty of potatoes, bread, rice, pasta and other starchy foods (ideally you should choose wholegrain varieties)
- some milk and dairy foods
- some meat, fish, eggs, beans and other non-dairy sources of protein
- just small amounts of food and drinks that are high in fat and sugar
Try to avoid foods containing high levels of salt because they can raise your blood pressure, which can be dangerous for people who are already obese.
Source: iMedPub
