2. Contents
Introduction: .......................................................................................................................... 3
Cultural Influences of Obesity in UAE ......................................................................................... 5
Childhood Obesity and Diabetes in the UAE:............................................................................... 6
Childhood obesity and type 2 diabetes: ..................................................................................... 7
Climate, clothing and culture: ................................................................................................... 8
Health Risks of Morbid Obesity: ............................................................................................... 10
Obesity shortens your life span: ............................................................................................... 11
Conclusion : ........................................................................................................................... 12
3. Introduction:
Obesity has become a major problem in the UAE. Over 60% of Emirati nationals are
overweight and this figure is expected to rise. The number of overweight or obese
adults and children has continued to increase and is a trend that is not slowing down.
According to the World Health Organisation (WHO), it is predicted that there will be
over 2.3 billion overweight and 700 million obese individuals by 2015.
Obesity in the UAE:
Obesity affects not only the individual but also the country that they live in too. The
biggest effect is for the individual, as being overweight or obese can lead to heart
disease, diabetes and many other health issues. Life expectancy is reduced by as much
as 10-12 years for people that are morbidly obese. For people who are obese, it is
inevitable that their quality of life suffers, as it is difficult to enjoy exercise or to move
around freely. Another consequence is the lack of self-esteem. This can lead to
depression, eating disorders and crash diets.
Another consequence of obesity is that the country of residence is also affected due to
the fact it becomes very expensive for the government to provide advanced medical
care such as heart transplants or other healthcare provision for certain individuals. 1
1
http://www.weightlosssurgery.ae/obesity-UAE.htm
5. Cultural Influences of Obesity in UAE:
Traditional dress in the Middle East is a contributing factor of obesity due to the
wearing of loose, flowing garments such as the dish-dash or abayas. Excess weight
gained goes relatively unnoticed as they are not wearing close fitting garments such as
jeans or shirts. Often when clothes become tight, it signals a warning to control calorie
intake but this may not occur if there are no limiting factors.
Due to extremely high weather temperatures up to 50 degrees, for a large part of the
year, outdoor activities may be limited and therefore entertainment is often provided at
home sat in front of the television. Inactivity and boredom can lead to excessive calorie
consumption resulting in weight gain. In this climate, cars are used frequently to drive
very short distances and exercise is not undertaken.2
Being overweight is widely perceived in Arab countries, as well as African and
Mediterranean countries, as being a sign of good health and financial success. In order
to be effective, any strategies to promote health and prevent lifestyle-driven health
conditions such as diabetes must challenge important socio-cultural obstacles.
Many religious occasions, such as fasting for Ramadan and the subsequent celebrations
at the end of Ramadan, bring about altered eating habits. For Ramadan, Muslims fast for
the Holy Month of Ramadan which may predispose to overeating leading up to the
fasting month.
2
http://www.weightlosssurgery.ae/childhood_obesity-UAE.htm
6. Childhood Obesity and Diabetes in the UAE:
In Arab countries such as Saudi Arabia, Kuwait and the United Arab Emirates (UAE) –
the economic growth and development of the past three decades have been dramatic.
This socio-economic progress has brought benefits to many people in the region, such
as improved access to health care, education, and safe drinking water. However,
economic development has set the scene for the transformation of lifestyles, eating
habits, and traditional societal and family structures in the region. These changes are
not all for the better. In fact, lifestyle-related non-communicable health conditions are
having an increasingly negative impact on the health of many adults and children.
Chronic health conditions, such as diabetes, which are linked both directly and
indirectly to behavioral, nutritional and environmental factors, have emerged in recent
years as the leading cause of illness, disability and death in the oil-producing Arab
countries. In the UAE, for example, in recent years, the prevalence of heart-disease risk
factors such as obesity, high levels of blood cholesterol, and high blood pressure were
27%, 53%, and 37% respectively. These figures represent significant increases over
previous years.
Although the available data on the prevalence of type 2 diabetes in the UAE are still
limited, the condition appears to be a significant problem. According to the results of a
national diabetes survey, conducted in 2000 by the Ministry of Health and the World
Health Organization (WHO), almost a quarter of the population in the UAE had diabetes
of one form or another. Furthermore, it has been reported that deaths attributable to
diabetes accounted for 2%-3% of all deaths in the UAE in the last ten years, and that, if
current trends continue, in the next 25 years diabetes will affect as many as half the
people in the country.
7. Childhood obesity and type 2 diabetes:
Childhood obesity in this and some other regions has reached epidemic proportions.
Over the past three decades, the number of children with overweight in the USA has
more than doubled; overweight and obesity in young people are increasing rapidly in
the UK.4 In the developing countries - where large numbers of people continue to adopt
a lifestyle that is characterized by a high-fat, high-sugar diet and a reduction in physical
activity – the situation is likely to be worse, contributing significantly to the high global
prevalence of these conditions. Only a few years ago, type 2 diabetes did not affect
young people in the UAE; nowadays, the condition is seen routinely in children. This is
due principally to the lifestyle changes mentioned above: an increasing incidence of
obesity, driven by a general decline in physical activity and an increased reliance on
processed food.
Factors which further contribute to the large numbers of young people with diabetes in
Arab populations include:
the relatively high percentage of consanguine relationships
the elevated genetic risk for diabetes compared to many other populations in the
world
the widespread use of traditional clothing
8. Climate, clothing and culture:
Traditional dress in the Gulf region is signaled as a contributing factor in the stark rise
in the number of people with obesity. Men and women (or indeed boys and girls) who
regularly wear jeans or trousers are able to perceive their own weight gain as their
clothing becomes tight and uncomfortable. But an expanding waistline easily goes
unnoticed in a loose-fitting voluminous robe, such as a ‘dish-dash’ – traditionally worn
by men and women in Arab countries. This serves to compound the negative effects of
the widespread use of television and computers. As in many communities around the
world, watching television is the main leisure activity in the Gulf region. Furthermore,
the exceptionally high summer temperatures in countries such as the UAE often
persuade people to stay indoors and avoid even light physical exertion. From June
through to September, the days are hot and humid with temperatures averaging over
40oC (110oF). In these conditions, people, understandably, often choose to ride in an
air-conditioned car rather than walking even short distances. In order to be effective,
any strategies to promote health and prevent lifestyle-driven health conditions such as
diabetes must challenge important socio-cultural obstacles. As in many African and
Mediterranean communities, overweight is widely perceived as a desirable feature in
the Arab countries, a sign of good health and financial success. A fundamental change is
necessary in the way walking is popularly perceived: strictly the low income transport
option.3
Awareness and education for all Human behavior is strongly influenced by values and
beliefs, and any significant change in this behavior is difficult both to initiate and
sustain. For health-care providers, promoting and supporting sustained lifestyle
3
http://www.weightlosssurgery.ae/childhood_obesity-UAE.htm
9. changes requires a range of abilities. Excellent communication skills are essential in
order to develop and maintain understanding and trust in people who are affected by
obesity and/or diabetes. Through open and meaningful communication, it is likely that
the lifestyle advice offered by the health-care provider or through educational program
and awareness campaigns will be understood and embraced.
Interventions, such as therapeutic health education, the modification of diet, and the
promotion of exercise and home glucose self-monitoring remain the cornerstones of
diabetes management. Accordingly, diabetes self-management training packages have
been developed in the UAE. The challenge now is to package and consistently deliver
these interventions in a way that is widely meaningful, and practical in terms of the time
and resources required to reach the optimum number of people. We, the health-care
providers, should play a central role in rising to this challenge. Our communication
issues should be addressed and excellence achieved – as would be the case regarding
any other aspect of our work.4
Impact on health care Childhood obesity is directly linked to a series of abnormalities in
adult life, such as high blood pressure, high blood fat, and irregularities in insulin levels,
as well as an increased risk of cardiovascular disease and diabetes.4 If this epidemic
goes unchecked, the burden on public health spending will grow as children with
obesity become young people with diabetes, and the costly complications of their
condition develop. Early prevention is clearly our best option. In the UAE, the
prevention of type 2 diabetes in young people through the reduction of childhood
obesity remains a major public health challenge. The Ministry of Health has developed
4
http://www.weightlosssurgery.ae/childhood_obesity-UAE.htm
10. educational program to raise awareness amongst healthcare providers about the
prevention and management of diabetes.
Children and their families learn about the links between obesity and diabetes through
school-based health education program. While expectations for such program are
limited due to the lack of diabetes educators and culturally appropriate materials in the
region, primary school health education might hold the key to raising awareness
amongst children and their families and teachers on the prevention of obesity and
diabetes.
Health Risks of Morbid Obesity:
The truth about Morbid Obesity:
Obesity has a direct relationship to the development of heart disease in both men and
women. This is due to the increased distribution of body fat. You are 3 times as likely to
suffer from hypertension if you are obese compared to those whose weight falls within
the normal range. The simple fact is that when your weight increases, so does your
blood pressure.
Weight loss decreases risk factors
If you are more than 20% overweight then most likely your health would benefit greatly
from losing weight. Experts in the area of morbid obesity believe that those who are less
than 20% above a healthy weight range should still try to lose weight if they have any of
the following risk factors:
11. Family history of certain chronic diseases. People with close relatives who have
had heart disease or diabetes are more likely to develop these problems if they
are obese.
Pre-existing medical conditions. High blood pressure, high cholesterol levels, or
high blood sugar levels are all warning signs of some obesity-associated diseases.
"Apple" shape. People whose weight is concentrated around their stomachs may
be at greater risk of developing heart disease, diabetes, or cancer than people of
the same weight who are "pear-shaped" (they carry their weight in their hips
and buttocks).
Obesity shortens your life span:
Morbid obesity is not just an issue of physical appearance; being significantly
overweight is a serious hazard to your health. If you are 40% or more overweight, you
are twice as likely to die prematurely as someone who is within a healthy weight range.
This is because obesity has been linked to several serious medical conditions, including:
Cardiovascular Disease (CVD)
Carpal Tunnel Syndrome (CTS)
Chronic Venous Insufficiency (CVI)
Daytime Sleepiness
Deep Vein Thrombosis (DVT)
Diabetes (Type 2)
End Stage Renal Disease (ESRD)
Gallbladder Disease
Gout
12. Heat Disorders
Hypertension
Impaired Immune Response
Impaired Respiratory Function
Infections Following Wounds
Infertility
Liver Disease
Low Back Pain
Obstetric and Gynecologic Complications
Pain from Morbid Obesity
Pancreatitis from Morbid Obesity
Sleep Apnea from Morbid Obesity
Stroke from Morbid Obesity
Urinary Stress Incontinence from Morbid Obesity
Conclusion :
There are no magic pills, no miracles in a bottle. The only way you have fighting chance
of beating obesity is to change your lifestyle. No crash diet or miracle drug is going to
cure what has now become an epidemic in the United States. The two best things you
can do for yourself are 1) exercise on a regular basis and 2) control your caloric intake.
Keep in mind that these factors are important for everyone, overweight or not, and
regardless of whether or not you decide to have gastric bypass surgery.
13. References:
CHSD Center for strategic healthcare development :
http://www.weightlosssurgery.ae/childhood_obesity-UAE.htm
Obesity in The UAE Articles
http://emiratweet.com/ar/2010/10/26/obesity-in-uae/
