CHILDHOOD OBESITY



Community Project: Childhood Obesity in Riyadh Saudi Arabia

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Community Project: Childhood Obesity in Riyadh Saudi Arabia

Introduction

The worldwide prevalence of childhood obesity has shown a rapid increase in recent decades, and is characterized as a true world pandemic. This fact is quite worrying, because the association of obesity with metabolic abnormalities such as dyslipidemia, hypertension and glucose intolerance, considered risk factors for diabetes mellitus type 2 and cardiovascular disease, which until a few years ago were more evident in adults, however, today it can be seen frequently in the younger age group (Barbour, 2011). Additionally, some studies suggest that the duration of obesity is directly associated with morbidity and mortality from cardiovascular disease (Smith, 1999). Obesity is also serious problem in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, where not only adults, but also a huge population of children is also suffering from obesity, thereby inviting various other diseases associated with obesity. This paper aims at devising an outline for a community project to manage and prevent childhood obesity in the city of Riyadh, which is one of the most populous cities of KSA. Briefly introducing the demographic characteristics of Riyadh, the paper will move on discuss the causes, negative impact of childhood obesity and steps to effectively manage and prevent this menace.

Discussion

Demographic Characteristics of Riyadh

The capital city of Riyadh is located at heart of the country with a distance of 530 miles from Jeddah on the Red Sea. The largest and most densely populated city is 240 miles away from Dammam on the Arabian Gulf. At 50 miles to the South of the capital city, located the region known as AI Kharj, which is famous for its extensively irrigated area and abundance of agricultural production. Riyadh lies in the larger region called Najd, which is roughly 600 meters above the sea level. The climate of the city is mostly dry and there is little rainfall, but a complex underground water system makes this city one of the places with naturally fertile lands of Saudi Arabia in south-west.

With a total inhabited area of slightly more than 1600 kilometres square, the Riyadh has a population of more than 4 million people. The city has almost every basic facility for its inhabitants. Moreover, the city has a large population of children with obesity, which concerns many in the community. It has been observed that the obesity in the children of Riyadh has increased exponentially in the recent years and it continuous to grow at a rapid scale, thereby resulting in many other associated diseases and health abnormalities normally diagnosed in obese children.

Obesity

The prevalence of overweight and obesity has seen a dramatic increase in the last 15 years around the world, including Saudi Arabia, resulting in healthcare experts coining the term “obesity epidemic”. Obesity is relatively common in Europe and Gulf countries often with a higher prevalence in women and men respectively. Of great interest is the evaluation of prevalence of overweight and obesity among children and ...