Jakarta –
Saudi Arabia is currently faced with a high prevalence of overweight or obesity in the country. According to a study published by the World Bank last year, about one in five adults from Saudi Arabia is obese.
The Global Obesity Observatory ranks Saudi Arabia as the 17th country with the highest prevalence of obesity. Saudi Arabia is under the United States (US), and neighboring Qatar and Kuwait on the list.
Seeing this, Saudi Arabia’s Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman initiated the Vision 2030 reform agenda which aims to reduce obesity and diabetes rates by the end of this decade.
These efforts have been helped by the emergence of new restaurants offering healthier alternatives to some of the traditional local foods.
A financial analyst Asim Al-Shammari (28) revealed that he recently visited a restaurant that provides a healthy food menu.
“I used to eat burgers, shawarma or kabsa when I was working,” he said as quoted by Al-Jazeera, Sunday (5/3/2023).
“It increases obesity, especially with an eight-hour office job and sedentary,” he continues.
Since 2019, Saudi Arabia’s Ministry of Health began requiring restaurants to include calorie information on menus to encourage healthy eating. Various fast food brands such as McDonald’s to Al Baik are still available, but they are starting to face more varied competition.
The reason is, more and more restaurants are offering healthy food packages delivered directly to customers’ homes or workplaces. One such package offers daily meals for one month at a price of 450 Saudi Riyals (Rp 1.8 million).
One restaurant owner in Saudi Arabia’s capital, Riyadh, said he had opened two new branches in the last 18 months due to soaring demand. The restaurant serves daily meals to around 500 customers, most of whom are Saudi citizens.
“Saudi Arabians have changed their lifestyle and now attend sports clubs and eat healthy food,” said restaurateur Basil Chehayeb.
Efforts by restaurants and other private sector businesses to promote healthy eating have been complemented by other health-minded interventions. The Saudi Arabian Sports Federation now organizes regular events such as the Riyadh Marathon, which this year drew thousands of runners onto the streets of Riyadh.
The government has also started work on the 135-kilometre-long Sports Boulevard in the capital, which is equipped with pedestrian, cyclist and equestrian pathways. Starting with the current academic year, the Saudi Ministry of Health has banned the sale of soft drinks in schools.
“Obesity is a serious health problem but it is very visible now that health awareness is increasing among the younger generation,” said public health consultant Lamia Al-Brahim.
“Change in people’s behavior takes a long time, and these efforts start from the house, then schools and then government agencies,” he explained.
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(hnu/up)
