Princess Sita Bint Abdullah Bin Abdul Aziz inaugurated a celebration of women's health along the theme of “Lasting Beauty and the Most Beautiful Years of Life for Gulf Women “ as part of the fifth International Gulf Congress for Woman's Health at the Meridian Hotel in Jeddah, Wednesday evening. More than 300 leading women from the region attended the six-day event to discuss health issues afflicting women in the region including 70 presentations of research papers on case studies, treatments and personal experiences. Dr. Hisham Arab, General Secretary of the Saudi Obstetrics and Gynecological Society, warned women that obesity is the most common health risk in Gulf countries since it has so many other negative implications like heart disease, loss of muscle function and weaker bones among others. “Obesity is a contributing factor to high blood pressure, the growth of gallbladder stones and diabetes,” Arab explained. “It can also cause an abnormal accumulation of fat in the blood, and morbidity of the coronary artery, leading to strokes and inflammation of bone joints.” He stated that 60 percent of people with diabetes do so because of accumulation of weight, especially when the increase is excessive. Moreover, 30 percent of women who go on to develop cervical cancer suffer from obesity. Statistics presented at the forum by Dr. Arab indicate that in comparison with Britain, Saudi Arabia has 30 percent more obese men and 50 percent more obese women. Most of the women attendees were curious to know the reasons behind the dramatic increase in weight during pregnancy since it has become a common problem for pregnant women. “Increase in the pregnant woman's weight is normal, even necessary for the safety of the mother and fetus. But the rate of increase varies from one woman to another, “ Dr. Arab explained. “ I advise women to work to avoid weight gain in general, decrease the amount of food taken in lunch, do simple exercises or sport and visit a dietitian or nutritionist for consultation during pregnancy.” He also advised women to take advantage of safe-use medications, which helps to reduce the proportion of fat in the body especially for people who indulge in fat-rich diets. Weight increase of one kilo a year can affect a woman negatively during pregnancy and may be the future cause of ailments liked gestational diabetes (diabetes caused by pregnancy) for instance. “Statistics find that most obese woman can expect to have an obese child as well,” he added. The event was also attended by a large number of Saudi businesswomen and media representatives as well as ordinary people. Saudi Gazette spoke to a number of people who contributed to this event and asked about their awareness of women's healthcare. “It is very interesting to have such an event, especially since women in this region tend to think that healthcare is all about fitness and food when it's about so much more,” remarked Hind Al-Arifi, a Saudi housewife who also contributed to the event. “We need to correct our concept of healthcare and change our situation.” A number of women at the forum also voiced the belief that working for long hours in the office is a contributing factor to being overweight. “Getting food delivered to the office and then going home and having lunch with our families exacerbates those long hours at work and piles on the weight,” said Fawz Al-Jassem, a Kuwaiti woman who participated in the event and works in a bank in Kuwait. “We should call for diet centers to be available in each company and ban this food delivery culture so that we'll be forced to eat simple as well as healthy food.”
