Friday 17 / May / 2024
Muscat: Efforts to protect children from COVID-19 by keeping them at home have unfortunately led to many of them putting on excess weight during the pandemic period.
No school, and a lack of outdoor activity is turning weight gain into a real problem for them, say health specialists in the country.
“Just a few days ago, I examined a girl aged seven, who had put on 20 to 25 kg last year,” said Dr Mohammed Saiful Islam, a paediatrician at Burjeel Hospital.
“The problem is that over the past year, we have become more used to a sedentary lifestyle. Children were unable to play, and so much of their time was spent doing things that involved a lot of sitting around.
“The online lessons, for example, are all in front of the computer, so children are seated in front of their screens,” he went on to say. “Homework is also done the same way. At the same time, children are not able to burn the food they eat these days, because they are at home all the time.
“A lot of children and their families eat fried foods, fatty foods, sugary snacks, and food that is not good for them,” he said. “Earlier, they could balance that by playing with their friends, but all of their activities have only recently returned. I encourage parents and children to switch to a healthier lifestyle, and where possible, exercise at home.”
According to the latest data, released recently on World Obesity Day, more than half of the Omani population is now overweight or obese, with 30 per cent of the population having a BMI of more than 30.
“These figures showed a rise in the prevalence of obesity in Oman since the last survey in 2008, especially amongst women,” said Dr Ahmed bin Mohammed Al Saidi, the Minister of Health.
“There is an increasing recognition worldwide that concerns around overweight and obesity are not only problems of individuals, but also society-wide problem of populations.
“The causes of obesity are complex, but one of the key drivers is in the way we eat and how much we move, which is changing dramatically. As a result of changes in our environment, unhealthy processed food and the technology that promote sedentary lifestyles has become more readily available.
Unfortunately, convenience has led us to adopt an unhealthy lifestyle, which in turn has led to obesity,” he added.
Dr Shatha Al Raisi, the Head of Non Communicable Diseases at the Ministry of Health, said, “The data also shows that in Oman, we have more locals being obese, compared to expats. 35 per cent of Omanis are obese, compared to 19 per cent among expats.”
Sayyida Dr Noor bint Badr Al Busaidi, Director of the National Diabetes and Endocrine Centre, and President of Oman Diabetes Association said, “The most important factor in the increase in obesity rates among women is frequent pregnancy.
“The percentage of women who engage in active movement is also less than that of men, in addition to women being exposed to greater pressure in the family.”
“In addition to genetics, when the mother suffers from obesity, the child, during pregnancy, is more susceptible to chronic diseases in the future. This is called the epigenetics factor,” Al Busaidi added.
“Because of our current lifestyle we’ve witnessed an increase in the incidence of type 2 diabetes and obesity among children in their teens, because they were overweight when they were younger. In the past, cases of type 1 of diabetes were the only type seen among children.”
Dr Al Raisi explained, “People need to look after themselves while at home. Make sure you eat healthy… fast food may always be available, but we need to make sure that we select healthy options for ourselves, and our children, and make sure that we are taking enough exercise.”
The Department of Non Communicable Diseases at the Ministry of Health in January launched a campaign to raise awareness regarding lifestyle diseases.
“We focus on all non-communicable disease and their risk factors, and emphasise the need for physical activity and healthy habits,” said Al Raisi.
“We discuss these issues on different media outlets and raise awareness on how common obesity is, as well as how it can be controlled that by eating healthy. We have teams in other governorates, to promote the different aspects of physical activities and good,” added Al Raisi.
The National Diabetes and Endocrine Centre, and the Oman Diabetes Association have conducted a number of workshops and seminars to raise awareness of how to treat diabetes patients and treat obesity, in addition to motivational meetings for patients and increase awareness of the mechanism of treating obese patients.
According to the Ministry of Health’s 2019 health report, 369 children below the age of five years were considered obese, with 28.7 percent of them considered severe. It was the Batinah North (152 cases) and Dhofar (129 cases) governorates that had the highest number of registered obese children, while the least number of registered obese children were in Al Wusta, with just two cases.
The trend of obesity is also present in schoolchildren, and seems to worsen as children go up a grade, reveals data taken from students during the 2018/2019 academic year.
Among the 13,913 students in grade one whose health statuses were taken, 958, or just 1.54 per cent were reported obese. The number was a lot higher among grade seven students: with 13,320 students undergoing health check-ups, about 3,177 (6.91 per cent) were considered obese. In terms of percentage, this rose further among children in grade 10. 10,638 students were examined, with 3,184 (8.03) per cent classified as obese.
Data further showed that obesity and other metabolic disorders were also the cause of outpatient morbidity – the reason for which they visited hospital – for 21 in every 10,000 males. The number was significantly higher among females, where 51 of every 10,000 women came to hospital for these conditions.
On average, across the 11 governorates, 32 of every 10,000 people visit health institutions to seek treatment for obesity and related issues. The number is highest in the Dhahirah (68) and Wusta (50) governorates.
In 2017, a survey was conducted among 6,582 local and expatriate families in the country, to determine the spread of non-communicable diseases and their prevalence. Among the 95.5 percent who did respond, 35.5 per cent were classified as overweight, and 30.7 per cent were obese. 14.1 per cent admitted to doing insufficient physical activity, and 24.5 per cent did not take part in any physical activities at all.
Anuya Phule, a psychotherapist at Hatat Polyclinic, said, “To make sure my young sons keep fit, I encourage them to follow exercises on YouTube that are specially designed for children.”
“Children love company, so I invite a few of the neighbour’s children over, and while still socially distancing, make them exercise together,” she said. “Make sure the session is fun and happy; don’t make it too serious, otherwise the children will not find joy there.”
“A lot of my teenage clients have come to me with issues of weight gain over the past year,” she added.
“It’s because many of them have been forced to sit at home over the past year, have not been able to play or exercise outside, and have seen their daily routines severely disrupted. Because their minds are searching for some sort of comfort or stability, they turn to food. The consequence of this is many of them feel self-conscious and depressed, and this cannot be allowed to continue over the long-term.”
