The obesity rate among Saudi men and women has risen to 70 percent, the Saudi Diabetes and Endocrinology Society said. Recent studies showed that 34 percent of middle-aged men are obese, the figure rises to 45 percent among middle-aged women and the phenomenon has started spreading among pre-schoolchildren, the organization said. It warned that a number of factors have contributed to the spread of obesity among Saudis. Most important among them are the rise in purchasing power in different segments of society, the spread of fast-food restaurants, a change in nutrition habits and too little physical activity. Dr. Basim Fota, head of the Society's Health Education Unit, attributed the increase in obesity in the Kingdom to changes in the nutrition habits during the past 30 years. He said there have been adverse changes in the quantity and quality of food people eat and a four-fold increase in amount of fat in current meals. Fota pointed out that his organization is holding programs, “Your Family's Health and Yours Depends on You,” to help women prepare healthy food. The programs include educational workshops on healthy shopping, preparing food lists, cooking healthy dishes, nutritional analysis, nutritional evaluation of prepared dishes, arranging the dining table and the healthy Ramadan table. He said the program is the first of its kind to provide information about preparing healthy meals, healthy shopping and low-calorie meals to emphasize the role of healthy nutrition in countering obesity, diabetes and osteoporosis among women in Saudi Arabia.
