Nutrition
Obesity, as one of the leading contributors of disease burden in Oman and UAE, increased dramatically in recent years (The World Bank 2013). However, in Yemen, over one-third of children die from malnutrition (The World Bank 2009).
Obesity has became a epidemic problem in Gulf countries, especially in high-income and oil-producing countries like Oman and UAE. In the past two decades, there is a significant increase in the consumption of fast foods and soft beverages. Simultaneously, new technologies appears, such as cars, escalators, lifts, computers and remotes, which significantly contribute to the decrease of physical activities. Besides, the development of agriculture change people's traditional dependence on locally grown natural products, like vegetables, and wheat. All these factors - changes in food consumption and physical activity, socioeconomic and demographic factors, and urbanization, lead to the increased prevalence of obesity in these countries (AL-Nohair 2014).
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Yemeni people is lack of access to sufficient food and food safety practice. Besides, Yemen is experiencing an increasingly complex and deteriorating humanitarian situation, which worse people's situation of hunger and poverty (WFP 2016).
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Obesity is closely associated with non-communicable diseases, such as diabetes, high blood pressure, heart disease and strokes. In fact, heart disease is the leading contributor of death and disability in the Arab world, while high blood pressure is the second factor (The World Bank 2013). Cardiovascular disease and diabetes are leading to more premature death and disability in Oman and UAE (The World Bank 2013).
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More than one in eight of all children under five years old in Yemen are at risk of dying due to lack of enough nutrition. Nearly half of them suffer from stunted growth, which impair their full cognitive potential (DID & Duncan 2012).
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The rapid change in disease burden put people at high risk of lack of access to appropriate health services and incurring payments for health care (The World Bank 2013). There is an increasing burden of obesity and obesity-related non-communicable diseases in Gulf countries, especially in economic burden (Mabry et al. 2016; Kumanyika, Libman & Garcia 2013).
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The role of government is mainly policy maker, education and play or strategy maker in addressing emerging issues (Kumanyika, Libman & Garcia 2013).
The Minister of Health (MoH) of UAE implemented a comprehensive program of regular physical activities, diet plans, and progress charts in government schools in Dubai and Ajman at the start of the 2009-2010 academic year to involve students. By the end of the year, among the 144 participating students, the result presented an average of 40% reduction in weight. Following the success of this trial initiative, The School Health Education Project was launched with the help from UNICEF at the start of the 2011-2012 academic year and expanded to the government schools in Ajman and Umm Al Quwain in the second phase (Sheikh Saud bin Saqr Al Qasimi Foundation 2009). In Oman, the Ministry of Health has recognized the burden of obesity related diseases. The MoH established a multi-sectoral health promotion committee which involve all areas of government to prevent and control NCDs and developed a “health-in-all policies” plan under the title Health Vision 2050 (ROEM 2010; Kumanyika, Libman & Garcia 2013). The MoH also implemented the Obesity and diet-related NCDs programmes with the support of WHO during the period of 2010-2015. The actions under these programmes include Dietary goals and food-based dietary guidelines, implementation of legislation on marketing of unhealthy foods and beverages to children, labeling of food products, media promotion of healthy nutrition, nutrition counseling and removal of trans acids (WHO 2013). The epidemic trend of obesity can be curbed by implementing appropriate strategies, like WHO Global Strategy on Diet, Physical Activity and Health. Annually achievable national health goals also can be set as a short-term target to better address the issue. Besides, there must be concerted efforts and coordinated policies on the part of government with greater focus on evidence-based, cost-effective primary prevention services to address the problem of obesity (AL-Lawati, Mabry & Mohammed 2008). |
In 2009, Yemen’s Ministry of Public Health and Population Primary Health Care developed a National Nutrition Policy to improve the health of Yemeni people through strengthening nutritional intervention by 2020. This nutrition strategies include control of child undernutrition, control of low birth weight, control of maternal undernutrition, control of rickets, control of iron deficiency anaemia, control of vitamin A deficiency control of iodine deficiency, control of zinc deficiency, school nutrition and nutrition for emergency situation (MoPHPPHC 2009).
However, since the 2011 crisis and 2014 renewed conflict and political instability, the insecure situation has already seriously disrupted government services, public works and other support programmes (FAO & FSTS 2015). Several NOGs and countries have provided support to help Yemen in addressing malnutrition. A country programme was provided with the partnership of WFP, which is Food for Girls’ Education and Food for Mother/Child Health and Nutrition (WFP 2016). UK also provided funding with the help of UNICEF to improve nutrition of women and children in Yemen (DID & Duncan 2012). It is recommended that the priority actions for Yemen government are to build peace and reconciliation, provide basic living services and continue the economic support to critical sectors, especially food supply and safety (FAO & FSTS 2015). |