Saudi teens lifestyle is ‘unhealthy'
This is among the shocking findings of a study of 12,000 teenagers conducted by Faida bin Saleh, head of the adolescent medicine research program at King Abdullah International Medical Research Center in Riyadh, a local publication reported recently. The study, entitled "Our generations," surveyed male and female teenagers at schools in the Kingdom. They were asked several questions on 12 health topics, including family status, nutrition, safety on the road, smoking, bullying, mental illness and access to health care services. The researchers also asked the teenagers to submit to medical examinations and have their blood tested to see whether they suffer from chronic illnesses and obesity. The study found that 30 percent of the teenagers were overweight and obese because they ate meals that were not nutritious and consumed large amounts of energy and soft drinks. In addition, 16 percent were regular smokers. The study found that 95.6 percent had a lack of vitamin D, 13.8 never put on their seat belts in vehicles, and 17.9 percent drive cars without the knowledge of their parents. The researchers discovered that 20.8 percent were subjected to physical violence at schools, 25 percent were bullied, 10 percent smoked shisha, 16.5 inhaled glue, gasoline and other similar substances, and 24 percent had difficulty accessing health care services. Bin Saleh said the widespread assumption that young people between the ages of 10 and 19 are healthy, was not true. "Previous studies have shown that 70 percent of early deaths among adults resulted from poor health practices during adolescence."
