60 per cent of adults in Oman are overweight or obese: Ministry

Oman Sunday 21/October/2018 12:56 PM
By: Times News Service
60 per cent of adults in Oman are overweight or obese: Ministry

Muscat: Around 60 per cent of adults in the Sultanate are overweight or obese, the Ministry of Health has revealed.
A statement by the ministry on Sunday said, "The prevalence rates of overweight and obesity in the Sultanate is currently about 60 per cent of total adults.”
This came during the First Oman Obesity Conference organised by the Ministry of Health, represented by the National Diabetes and Endocrine Center (NDEC), in collaboration with the Oman Diabetes Association and the Embassy of the United States of America.
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According to Dr. Noor Al-Busaidi, NDEC Director, in 2016 the World Health Organisation indicated that 39 per cent of adults worldwide are overweight, 13 per cent of whom suffer from obesity. She also added that at the national level in the same year, the obesity rates after the age of 40-year reached 36 per cent, or about 164,000 patients in this age-group.
H.E. Dr. Ahmed bin Mohammed al Saidi, Minister of Health, inaugurated the event and said, "Obsesity is rising across the globe and the region. If it isn't dealt with, then it can lead to health, societal and economical issues for the country. This is why this conference is being held as a first step in combating the disease."
The statement from the ministry added, "Dr. Al-Busaidi stressed changing these ratios requires more effective mechanisms to reduce obesity. More than two years ago, the MOH has initiated in cooperation with the World Health Organisation (WHO) to conduct national surveys, plans and awareness programs."
Dr. Lee M. Caplan of the United States spoke about obesity as a disease that can worsen related health issues, and also spoke about current methods of treatment in the US, particularly in the Massachusetts general hospital Massachusetts State Hospital Obesity Metabolism and Nutrition Institute.
The obesity centre in the USA recently completed a "genome-wide association study (GWAS) of 1,000 Mass General patients with severe obesity who have undergone bariatric surgery" in order to understand the disease at its genetic core. Furthermore, the centre conducts clinical trials in order to provide better treatments. "A thorough understanding of the many different types of obesity will help physicians make treatment decisions in the future," the hospital said.
Multiple sessions were held during this first conference, which touched on the topics of obesity in general, microbial causes, non-surgical treatments such as medication, as well as obesity in women and children.