The majority of Saudis are still indulging themselves in unhealthy food and habits. According to the experts, there is still a huge lack of awareness of basic health principles, while many have called for the introduction of health-related subjects at schools as early as the elementary stage.
Research from several local and international health organizations, including the national First Care and Preventive Medicine, confirmed that Saudi Arabia is ranked as one of the worst countries in terms of obesity, diabetes, blood pressure, osteoporosis and cancer rates.
The World Health Organization’s (WHO) latest report in 2008 focuses on the importance of primary health care.
“The majority of Saudi women are careless about protecting their health. This carelessness is also affecting children. Most Saudi children become victims of their unhealthy mothers,” said Dr. Munirah Balahmar, consultant of community medicine and head of the health awareness unit at the First Care and Preventive Medicine Department.
“The Saudi mothers’ lack of health education affects their lifestyle negatively. Large numbers of Saudi children are suffering from obesity and diabetes at early age.”
She added that Saudi women are ignoring basic health activities such as eating a balanced diet and exercise.
Dr. Wafa Faqih, director general of the First National Association for Women’s Care in Jeddah and assistant professor for King Abdul Aziz University’s Faculty of Medicine, agrees there is an absence of health awareness among women.
“Women have ignored advice on how to protect their health. Most Saudi women are suffering from osteoporosis, cancer and sexually transmitted diseases (STDs). The absence of awareness on how to safeguard themselves have increased the risk of women contracting these diseases,” she said.
She claimed 30 percent of women are risking death because of osteoporosis, while 90 percent were ignoring advice on how to avoid sexual diseases.
“Many Saudi women are suffering from STDs but they do not know how to avoid catching them. Some sexual diseases can lead to infertility,” Faqih said, adding that some Saudi women are also indulging in illegal drugs, herbs, and online medication.
“This trend is mostly visible in women who want to lose weight, prevent hair loss, treat their skin, and generally look younger without consulting specialist physicians,” she added.
“These women are basically tired and do not consult a doctor. They discuss their problems with friends and receive advice from the Internet, via television programs and buy drugs over the counter.
“To avoid this dangerous behavior, there is an urgent need to change Saudi society’s perspective on health care. It is also vital that periodic health checkups are made compulsory in all regions of the Kingdom, including remote rural areas.”
She called on the Ministry of Education to implement a new syllabus on health care for primary school students.
Statistics from Dr. Abdulaziz Al-Ghreeb, a sociologist at King Saud University, confirmed that women are getting their health information from magazines, visual media, health centers, newspapers, the Internet and friends.
“The objective of this study is to identify the sources of health awareness for Saudi women and analyze the benefits of such sources,” said Al-Ghreeb.
