Obesity in Saudi Arabia Revised

Obesity in Saudi Arabia
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Abstract
Obesity is one of the most worrying public health problems in Saudi Arabia. That is why the discourse about this concerning health problem is now important more than ever. It is essential for the Saudi people to relook into their sociocultural provisions which might have proliferated this problem. Just as in many countries in the Middle East, the rates of people suffering from obesity and its related health complications such as hypertension, diabetes, and heart disease are constantly soaring. Many people, starting from children to adults, are suffering from this worrying health problem. Drawing from these worrying impacts, this paper, therefore, looks at the main contributors to the soaring rates of obesity in Saudi Arabia. In Saudi, obesity can mainly be attributed to sociocultural beliefs. The Saudis believe that being overweight or obese is a sign of prestige, class, and wealth. Many people believe that for one to be respected in the society, they have to be relatively big. Such beliefs have significantly contributed to the obesity problem among men. With regards to women, men in Saudi like their women overweight. This has made them deter their women from engaging in healthy living. Women are not allowed to exercise because of the cultural taboos attached physical activity. In fact, there are no women gyms in Saudi. Laziness and cheap means of transport also contribute to this problem. It is, thus, such beliefs that raise the need for the Saudi society to relook into their cultural structure to effectively fight obesity and its relative effects.

Obesity in Saudi Arabia
The discourse concerning health problems in Saudi Arabia is now important more than ever. It is essential for the Saudi people to relook into their sociocultural provisions which might have proliferated many health problems. Just as in many countries in the Middle East, the rates of people suffering from lifestyle health complications such as hypertension, diabetes, and heart disease are constantly soaring. Many people, starting from children to adults, are suffering from this worrying health problems. It is not a good sight looking at young people with their future in front of them battling with a social, economic, and health concern that is bound to derail their future. The stigma that arises from contracting such lifestyle diseases is also nothing to behold. It is just a pity looking at older people, who are at a critical stage in life leading an irresponsible life just because of the strife to be seen prestigious. The blatant disregard of the international health provisions and guidelines of leading a healthy lifestyle by adhering to rather outdated sociocultural laws. Denying our women, the rights to walk and engage in physical activity because of culture but being more than willing to accompany them to the best hospitals when they develop dire complications. How can we be a society that is so hell-bent on cure than prevention? At this age in time, how is it even tenable for some moral gods to impose a ban on women gyms in one of the coveted economies in the world? Is it that we are ready to lose a whole generation to preventable diseases? As much as it is easy to remain quiet and do nothing, there is a need for a constructive discourse on the obesity problem. Obesity which can be defined as the excessive accumulation of body fat has contributed to substantial health complications in Saudi, and it is important to address this problem now more than ever (DeNicola et al., 2015).
References
ADDIN Mendeley Bibliography CSL_BIBLIOGRAPHY DeNicola, E., Aburizaiza, O. S., Siddique, A., Khwaja, H., & Carpenter, D. O. (2015). Obesity and public health in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia. Reviews on Environmental Health. https://doi.org/10.1515/reveh-2015-0008