RIYADH, 5 July 2006 — A cross-section of Saudi nutritionists and parents have expressed concern over the growing phenomenon of obesity among Saudi children and said the month-long World Cup event in Germany could further exacerbate the problem.
Their comments were supported by a recent study conducted by King Abdul Aziz University in Jeddah which showed that prolonged exposure to television, lack of exercise and the consumption of junk food have led to a rising incidence of cardiovascular diseases as well as diabetes in the Kingdom.
According to Dr. Abdul Aziz Al-Othaimeen, a nutritionist, surfing the Net and playing videogames for hours have placed a heavy toll on children’s health. “On top of it, now you have the World Cup going on. These kids prefer to watch the games while they order their meals from fast-food restaurants. There is absolutely no movement. As a result, they are just putting on weight and rendering themselves vulnerable to various diseases.”
Dr. Al-Othaimeen said the parents are largely to blame for this phenomenon, since they have a false notion that the more their children eat, the healthier they will become. “We not only need awareness campaigns in the classroom but parents also need educating through televised programs.”
The problem, he pointed out, is also compounded by the fact that children sleep late at night and get up late during vacations and skip breakfast. Yet, they gain weight thanks to the consumption of fatty food washed down with carbonated beverages.
Asked for his comment, Khaled Al-Harbi told Arab News that his two sons, aged 14 and 16, have changed their lifestyle completely during the World Cup fixtures. “They watch these events for more than six hours a day relishing the games with fast food. It is no wonder that they will pile on kilos once the series is over.”
In reply to a question on preparing homemade food, Al-Harbi said his wife does not find time as she has to do shopping for various festive occasions and visit her friends, while he is busy with his own business. So the children end up eating fast food ordered from a list of restaurants with phone numbers pasted on the wall. This solves the problem for the whole family, he added.
