RIYADH, 13 October 2003 — With obesity in the Kingdom reaching alarming proportions, and the proportions of obese Saudis more alarming than those of any other nationality, dieting and exercise are becoming increasingly fashionable.

Walking in particular, a gentle and inexpensive form of exercise, is becoming more widespread in the car-crazy and home-bound Kingdom, perhaps aided by the dramatic fall in per capita income in recent years.

“Walking seems to appeal to people of all ages now, and in the evenings you can see a lot of people out getting some exercise,” Amjad Rana, a health and hygiene expert, told Arab News.

But Dr. Rana said that there were other reasons for the exercise and dieting fad. Medical experts believe that behind the boom is a social pathology caused by the rising number of obese people, in part a response to the dire warnings about obesity widely publicized in the media.

Many of the health-conscious interviewed by Arab News said exercise was essential for the health of people of every age.

“Physical fitness is important for me,” said Danilo Lojada, 41, a Filipino jogger. “There is no pressure on me from my family or peers to jog and reduce my weight. But jogging is essential in Saudi Arabia, where we have a lot of fat and carbohydrates in our diet. We’ve got to find a way to burn it all off,” he added.

“In Saudi Arabia there is an emerging trend for families to look for slim brides, and there seems to be a growing dislike for obese girls and boys,” said Ahmad Al-Kudairy, who regularly exercises at his local gym.

“People are becoming obese earlier and earlier,” he said. “It’s a shame seeing Saudis as young as that unable to pray properly in the mosques because of all the extra flesh on their bodies.”

Unofficial statistics indicate that one out of every four or five primary and secondary school students in Saudi schools is obese.

The children of long-term expatriates are not spared, exposed as they are to the sedentary lifestyle and vast proportions of food consumed in the Kingdom.

“My wife and I and one of my kids are currently on diet and are cutting down on fatty foods,” said Jarraf Arabaj, an Egyptian. He said that he did not join a health club because they are expensive but instead goes walking at a brisk pace for 45 minutes every evening near the King Fahd Medical City.

A study reveals that 36.6 percent of subjects had normal weight while 34.8 percent were overweight and 26.9 percent moderately obese. According to the study by three Saudi experts — Dr. Sulaiman Al-Shammari, Tawfik A. Khoja and Muhammad A. Maatouq — a large number of Saudis are unaware of the problems associated with obesity.

But a growing number of Saudis and expatriates, in part due to relentless media bombardment with images of slim singers and movie stars, are becoming weight-conscious. Low-fat and diet foods are flooding into Saudi Arabia as the number of weight watchers continues to explode. Skipping meals has become a fashion, especially among working women, who are now coming to the offices with nothing more than a thermos full of tea or coffee to sustain them through the day.

“You’re not going to lose weight quickly by just dieting,” said Ahsan Kamal, a Pakistani jogger, who has reduced his weight from 90 kg to 72 kg in 16 months. Kamal says his doctor recommended five or six hours of vigorous walking per week.

Doctors say that the cost of a healthy lifestyle and minimizing preventable risk factors such as high cholesterol levels, smoking, obesity and inactivity represents only a tiny fraction of the expense of treating established heart disease or recovering from a heart attack or stroke.