JEDDAH: Obesity rates around the world have risen steadily over the past half-century, leaving many countries well behind schedule to meet the World Health Organization’s 2025 global nutrition goals, experts say. I’ve come as far as my house says.
Mindful of the pressures high obesity rates are putting on local health systems and undermining quality of life, countries such as Saudi Arabia are working hard to promote fitness and challenge people to change their sedentary lifestyles. I am working on
According to a recent study by the Ohio State University School of Medicine, obesity and its associated health effects cost the Saudi health system $3.8 billion in 2019 alone, which is about 20% of the Kingdom’s total annual healthcare costs. Equivalent to 4.3%.
Excess weight and obesity — defined as abnormal or excessive fat accumulation that can compromise health — is not just a problem in the Arab world. Worldwide he more than 1 billion people are classified as obese. That is, the body mass index (a measure of body fat based on height and weight) is 30 or higher, and that number is increasing.
According to the WHO, obesity is more common in women than in men, with sociocultural, economic, genetic and biological factors all contributing. Worldwide, obesity affects 15% of women and 11% of men. In the Middle East and North Africa, the gender gap is even wider, with 26% of women classified as obese compared to 16% of men.
A recent article published by The Economist attributed the region’s problems to two key factors. The social conservatism prevalent in the Arab region may have prevented women from participating in outdoor exercise or passively burning calories at work.
Of course, the reality is more complicated than that. The perception of Arab women as mere sedentary stay-at-home moms seems remarkably outdated as more and more women in the region enter the workforce, manage their diets, and seize new opportunities in the world of sports and fitness.
In any case, managing your weight in the age of globalization is easier said than done. Arab countries are also undergoing significant lifestyle changes and rapid urbanization, and many high-fat foods are entering the market in addition to existing unhealthy eating habits, such as the traditionally carbohydrate-rich Arab diet. has been introduced.
Gulf populations, including Saudi Arabia, are facing an abrupt end to these developments. In particular, obesity levels have skyrocketed in recent decades due to a combination of unhealthy diet, inactivity, and ‘fat in fashion’.
Globally, perceptions of obesity vary widely. In many high- and increasingly middle-income countries, weight gain carries a social stigma that fosters perceptions of individual vulnerability and supports comprehensive prevention, treatment and control measures. weaken it.
Different ideals related to weight and body type are found in different cultures. Hypothesize that certain cultural pressures to be tall and thin are what cause people to misreport their height and weight and try to show what they see as socially popular and desirable. It has been.
A similar situation exists in some places in terms of attitudes towards excess weight. Many African, Polynesian, and some Arab cultures associate overweight women with abundance, health, strength, and fertility. But being fat is no longer fashionable, at least in the Gulf region.
Photographer and cafe owner Surafa Kurdi was overweight most of her life. In August 2020, she took her first steps in her almost two-year journey to health and fitness by signing up to the gym. She chose the Sweat Army in Jeddah and began her transformation.
“I was waiting for the right time to move and turn my life around,” she told Arab News. “It was hard to break down that wall, but with the support of my coach, this journey was just what I needed. I was.
“Within 3 months of signing up, I found the discipline to maintain a healthy lifestyle. Yes, we all fall off the wagon and feel sluggish from time to time. Thanks to , I beat my own record and managed to get back and move.”
fastfact
• Obesity is closely associated with chronic health problems such as cardiovascular disease and cancer.
• Overweight and its associated health effects cost the Saudi health system $3.8 billion in 2019.
Indeed, contrary to claims in The Economist article, anecdotal evidence suggests that more and more women in the Arab world are embarking on journeys to control their physical lives and improve their fitness. This has led many to pursue their dream of becoming a professional athlete.
Studies have found that women are less likely than men to be involved in sports and physical activity. Various government-led and private programs are now providing women and girls with access to sports facilities, encouraging them to become athletes and role models for younger generations.
It challenges outdated stereotypes about women in Saudi Arabia and the broader Arab region and misconceptions about social conservatism that prevent women from going outdoors to exercise and participate in organized sports. doing.
Nicknamed “Cleopatra Squash,” Egypt’s Nuran Djohar has won five padel tournaments, including the English Open Junior Championships. Meanwhile, his Ulfah Alkaabi, one of the UAE’s top padel players, is doing well on the court.
This month, the Saudi women’s national football team won a silver medal at the Special Olympics Unified Cup in Detroit, Michigan.
Saudi sprinter and Olympic debutant Yasmin Aldaba fell short in her first race at Tokyo 2020 but is aiming to take home a medal at the next event in Paris in 2024.
By all accounts, women’s participation in sport and fitness boils down to supportive communities. In the Kingdom, the Sports for All Federation has built community-driven programs to improve overall health through community sports programs.
According to SFA, its programs and initiatives are built around community-specific needs and their motivations and can be easily incorporated into everyday life such as walking, running, biking and other activities. The number of women participating in community sports has increased dramatically.
“Since 2018, we have seen numbers reflected across our programs,” an SFA spokesperson told Arab News. “SFA wants to provide women with appropriate programs and women-led initiatives to encourage them to go further.
“We provided a special course for the women at the Spartan Race.Sand Crash had an area for the women to compete. The same is true for our Neighborhood Club.
“The SFA also hosts the Global Goals World Cup, a 5-a-side women’s football tournament, and was the first country to add basketball to the game. Providing access to facilities, motivating them and making them feel part of the community.”
Emphasizing the importance of community-based physical activity programs, Haya Sawan, fitness trainer and owner of SheFit Gym in Jeddah, told Arab News that having such a program would help create a strong fitness culture among women. said it helped build
“There have been huge leaps in the last five years, and we can see more people engaging in some form of physical activity than ever before. is important,” said Sawan.
“The region’s climate and unique environment restricts us from walking miles and miles, so we have to make extra efforts just to stay active all day long. Leverage the space you have and create programs that are appropriate for that space.Using expansive spaces such as malls or outdoor trails designated for walking and jogging can be an excellent way to attract the general public. This is the method.
“Initiatives like the one SFA launched with the mall make it easier for people to be active. It’s accessible and you can count your steps.
That said, personal motivation is an integral part of the fitness journey, and among Arab women, and wider society, changing perceptions of one’s role, status and bodily autonomy are playing a role. I have no doubt that you are fulfilling it.
“I am a strong believer that your thoughts can really control your life,” Sawan said. Instead, I see it as a source of motivation to overcome challenges. All things change.”
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