Okaz/Saudi Gazette RIYADH — The International Conference on Healthy Lifestyles and Non-Communicable Diseases (NCDs) held last week in the city addressed pressing health concerns and suggested measures against some common lifestyle diseases, such as diabetes, obesity, and heart disease. Policy-makers, healthcare professionals, businessmen and women were encouraged to enforce a ban on smoking sheesha in cafés, coffee shops, and public places. Among the many suggestions recommended, the use of salt, sugar and fats were strongly condemned and the intake of fresh fruits and vegetables along with incorporation of physical exercises were encouraged. To combat the NCDs in the Middle Eastern region, cooperation is required between government agencies and the general public to carry out the strategies put forth by the World Health Organization. Participants at the conference concurred that the NCDs — heart and cardiovascular diseases, diabetes, cancers, and chronic respiratory disorders — are the leading causes of death worldwide, but they can be prevented by making lasting lifestyle adjustments. The rate of increase in health problems related to obesity in Saudi Arabia is higher than in most other countries worldwide, but these too can be prevented by dietary and lifestyle changes. Speakers at the conference revealed that 60 percent of mortality reports worldwide are linked to NCDs and that number is expected to climb to 75 percent by the year 2030. As for Saudi Arabia, NCDs are responsible for 50 percent of all mortality cases, which is much too high. Factors that have contributed to the spread of such illnesses are a sedentary lifestyle, environmental pollution, poor nutrition, and excessive weight gain.
Heart diseases, morbid obesity, and cancers are placing a colossal strain on the healthcare industry's resources and an enormous financial burden, which in turn slows the economic growth and social development of the country. The patient goes through a period of decreased productivity at work due to the illness, which threatens the financial stability of the family. Participants at the conference encouraged allocating a greater governmental budget toward prevention of such diseases, awareness campaigns, and early diagnostics at both government and private hospitals throughout the Kingdom. Instructions were also directed to the mayoralties of the major cities in the Kingdom to work seriously toward reforming the landscape, neighborhoods, and infrastructure to provide safe pavements for walking, routes for bicycling, and community parks. Every neighborhood should have a clean and properly maintained park and an area where young children, women, and the elderly can safely and comfortably walk to get the exercise they need. Merchants and businessmen can also play an important role in raising the level of the nation's health status by reducing the prices of fresh fruits and vegetables and avoiding practices that lead to inflation; this will ensure that residents of the Kingdom from all socio-economic classes have access to fresh foods.
