Alarm bells ring for rising obesity and diabetes
The findings state that obesity, diabetes, high blood pressure and high cholesterol are major risk factors among the local population. Health Minister Dr. Abdullah Al-Rabeeah said that the study was conducted on people above 15. Al-Rabeeah said that NCDs are a major health problem worldwide and would continue to increase unless action is taken to prevent their occurrence at a national level. He said that the ministry is carrying out an intensive campaign for the prevention and treatment of these diseases. Diabetes is accelerating at a rate of eight percent among adults aged 24 to 34, while the prevalence of the killer disease in adults over 65 is a whopping 50 percent, says the study. Of the 1.1 million male population afflicted with the disease, only 546,000 are taking proper medication. Around 775,000 women are diabetic, of whom only half are undergoing proper treatment. Hypertension is also another major health problem in the country that affects 15.1 percent of the population, Kazinform cites the Arab News. Women account for almost a quarter of all obesity-related cases. The study found that 50 percent of the female population do not engage in any physical exercises. Ziad Al-Memish, undersecretary to the Ministry of Health for preventive medicine, said lifestyle change is imperative for combatting NCDs. "Engaging in regular physical exercise and maintaining a balanced diet will help resolve several health problems," he said.
