If you thought the US was bad.  The obesity rate among Saudi men and women has risen to 70%! That’s according to the Saudi Diabetes and Endocrinology Society. So globally we’re having a collective problem with our weight.

Report Gives America an ‘F,’ and that Stands for ‘Fat’

As a side note I saw my neighbor last night who has lost considerable weight. I asked her what she did – her response? “I work out 70 mins. a day.” I guess if you work out that much you don’t have to diet as much (is that true?).

34% of middle-aged men are obese, the figure rises to 45% of middle-aged women. Also, like the US children are gaining and more of them are obese.

The culprits? Saudis are getting richer, there are more fast food restaurants, they aren’t eating as healthily and not getting enough exercise. Sound familiar?

Dr. Basim Fota, head of the Society’s Health Education Unit, said there have been adverse changes in the quantity and quality of food people eat and a four-fold increase in amount of fat in current meals. So like them we’re getting fat because we’re eating A LOT more of the substance.

The organization is working to help teach women how to prepare healthy food. They hold programs on healthy shopping, preparing food lists, cooking healthy dishes, nutritional analysis, nutritional evaluation of prepared dishes, arranging the dining table and the healthy Ramadan table.

I wish I had better news – but so far the trends show obesity is a growing problem.

He said the program is the first of its kind to provide information about preparing healthy meals, healthy shopping and low-calorie meals to emphasize the role of healthy nutrition in countering obesity, diabetes and osteoporosis among women in Saudi Arabia.

Related articles

• Could Sleep Deprivation Contribute to Childhood Obesity? (rubberecycle.com)
• How you Can Help Fight Childhood Obesity? (rubberecycle.com)

Did you know there was a Childhood Obesity Task Force? Their aim is to solve the problem of childhood obesity within a generation. They have a new report and got  input from 12 federal agencies. Citizens also weighed in with 2,500 submissions  from parents, teachers, doctors, nurses and others. The Let’s Move program has a YouTube channel that you can check out.

Quick Facts about Childhood Obesity

The report makes recommendations on how to fight childhood obesity in 5 key areas:

1. Getting children a healthy start on life which means good prenatal care.
2. Empowering parents and caregivers with clear information to help make healthy choices for children
3. Providing healthy food in schools and educating kids about healthy food choices.
4. Improve access to healthy, affordable food and reducing hunger.
5. Getting children more physically active which includes “improving access to safe parks, playgrounds, and indoor and outdoor recreational facilities.”

I’m impressed by the effort and involvement of citizens and we’re glad that you’re building playgrounds around the country where kids can be active.

Please tell us ways your community is getting involved or what you’re doing as a parent to prevent obesity. As for me – my son is so skinny that so far it hasn’t been a worry – I worry more about keeping him well fed!

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• Inactivity ‘no contributor’ to childhood obesity epidemic (eurekalert.org)
• Michelle Obama Gets Kids Moving (rubberecycle.com)
• How you Can Help Fight Childhood Obesity? (rubberecycle.com)

I’ve been writing about Michelle Obama’s “Let’s Move” initiative to fight childhood obesity. Rubberecycle supports these efforts and encourages parents to take their kids to the park this summer. There are parks for children of all ages — including a video game park — which I’ll write about in a future post. The idea is to help your children be more active. They’ll sleep better, be happier and more fit.

Here are some ideas to help families make healthy food choices and choose ways to encourage physical activity:

• Launch a city website with information for parents on healthy living.
• Create a healthy food promotional campaign, and offer a “healthy eating” designation to restaurants who offer healthier food and beverages and reasonably-sized portions.
• Form a community coalition tasked with identifying local barriers to healthy living.
• Promote local community organizations that provide access to healthy activities.
• Through public service announcements and community events:
• Serve as a role model in your own community by adopting a healthy lifestyle.
• Encourage parents to become healthy role models for their children.
• Encourage parents to help children get off to a good start by promoting breastfeeding.