27 August 2007
Dubai: More children in the UAE are developing adult-oriented diseases, such as diabetes and heart disease, largely due to obesity, according to health specialists.
Some children as young as 10 for instance, have developed Type II diabetes, which once used to be known as adult-onset diabetes because it took years to develop. Is the country facing an obesity epidemic? Who is to blame?
Dr V.J. Sebastian, head of cardiology department at Welcare Hospital, told Gulf News children were becoming 'mini-adults' due to obesity.
"Children are getting fatter and fatter at a younger age. I had a 13-year-old patient who was 110kg. I had to put him on anti-cholesterol drugs because he had high cholesterol and I couldn't lower his weight enough with diet and exercise," he said.
Adult-oriented diseases
Dr Elham Al Amiri, consultant paediatric endocrinologist at Al Qasimi Hospital, Sharjah, can relate to this. She is treating patients as young as 10 with Type II diabetes.
And worse, she is now encountering patients under 15 with cor pulmonae, a condition in which the right side of the heart has to work harder due to excessive weight.
"I have seen two [children] so far with the condition. It is a complication resulting from obesity. If untreated, it can lead to heart failure," Dr Elham said.
"I also have obese children with sleeping problems [apnea] and they are falling behind in their studies because they fall asleep in class as they didn't get any sleep the night before," she added. "It's a problem."
It is a warning that has been voiced many times, but seemingly falling on deaf ears if judged from childhood obesity rates in the country.
A World Health Organisation (WHO) survey carried out in the UAE in 2005 revealed alarming figures.
The Global School-based Student Health Survey which involved 15,790 expatriate and Emirati pupils in both private and public schools, found that 11.8 per cent of the 13-year-olds to 15-year-olds surveyed were obese. In addition, 21.3 per cent were at risk of becoming obese.
Alarming survey
The numbers have not changed much since then. Last year, almost 10 per cent of all 15-year-olds in UAE public schools were found to be obese, according to an annual survey by the Ministry of Education.
Dr Hala Haidar, assistant director for technical affairs of health education at the Ministry of Health, said the findings showed that the obesity trend was not decreasing.
"The phenomenon is not getting less. It's killing us," Dr Hala said.
She lays the blame partly on parents, schools and society who expect health officials to fight the battle single-handedly, without doing their part as well. But she also blames the fast food industry and their advertising campaigns.
"It's a vicious and fierce attack and approach for youngsters. When [children] are bombarded every day with messages about junk food and sweets, they will listen," Dr Hala said.
One out of five children in the country is overweight, while slightly more than one in 10 is obese.
The reasons can be found in the children's dietary habits and physical activities, or the lack of it. According to the Global School-based Student Health Survey, which was conducted in 2005 by the Ministry of Health and the Ministry of Education and in association with WHO, one in four pupils drinks two or more carbonated soft drinks daily, while 18 per cent reported eating at a fast food restaurant at least three times a week.
High-fat diet
Another 32.3 per cent admitted to eating high-fat foods, such as fried potatoes, biryani and shawarma at least twice a day.
In terms of physical activity, about 19 per cent of students reported being physically active for at least an hour daily in the past week.
The WHO survey, released last year, has also found that 40.5 per cent reported spending three or more hours sitting and watching television, playing computer games, talking with friends or doing other sedentary activities.
The awareness of the problem is there, but cannot be considered enough - 49.4 per cent of the pupils surveyed reported being taught the benefits of healthy eating in their classes, but leaving the remaining 50.6 per cent of the pupils surveyed in the dark about healthy eating.
By Nina Muslim
Gulf News 2007. All rights reserved.
