AMMAN — Obesity is a serious health concern and is
associated with numerous complications. According to the
World Health Organization (WHO), a person is considered obese with a
body mass index (BMI)
of 30 or more, whereas a person is considered overweight at a BMI of 25-29.9.
اضافة اعلان
As of 2016, 1.9 billion adults are considered overweight worldwide,
and another 650 million were deemed obese.
Jordan is no exception to these alarmingly high rates of
obesity.
According to the WHO, obesity prevalence is alarmingly high
in Jordan among children and adults, putting the population at a high risk of
developing
Non Communicable Diseases (NCDs),
Ayoub Al-Jawaldeh, technical expert in the WHO regional
office for the Eastern Mediterranean, had previously told Jordan News that
obesity in Jordan is “considered to be among the highest among the countries in
the Eastern Mediterranean region, making it a risk factor for NCDs.”
In Jordan, prevalence of obesity stands at 40 percent, while
the prevalence of overweight is 70 percent, according to the WHO and Jawaldeh.
In a meta-review comparing BMI internationally between 1975
and 2016, Jordan was ranked 23rd for adult obese males (29.17
percent) and 16th for adult obese females (44.60 percent).
Health concerns relating to obesity
Obesity is a growing concern in the health sector. It has
been determined to be the cause of many serious and potentially
life-threatening conditions such as:
Type 2 diabetes
Coronary heart disease
Certain cancers (e.g., breast cancer and bowel cancer)
Strokes
Additionally, obesity can cause a slew of other related
problems such as:
Breathlessness
Increased sweating
Snoring
Difficulty performing physical activities
Feeling tired
Joint and back pain
Depression due to low confidence and self-esteem
Obesity has also been linked to an increase in the
likelihood of other conditions. When comparing an obese individual with a BMI
of 40 or more to a normal individual (BMI = 18.5 – 24.9), obese individuals
are:
7.37 times more at risk for diabetes
6.38 times more at risk for hypertension (high blood pressure)
88 percent more at risk for hyperlipidemia (high cholesterol and triglycerides)
2.72 times more at risk for asthma
4.41 time more at risk for arthritis
Obesity affecting women more than men in Jordan
In Jordan, obesity affects women disproportionally more than
men. Internationally speaking, women are still affected more, with 15 percent
of adult women being obese whereas as males have an 11 percent prevalence.
Despite that, there is an unprecedented disparity between the
two genders in Jordan of 16.2 percent. One study in 2014, titled “Obesity of
women in Jordan - Prevalence and associated factors: making a case for a
comprehensive obesity policy,” set out to analyze the burden of obesity in
the female population of Jordan on a national scale, and examine factors
associated with it.
The study found a positive association between married women
and obesity. From data collected in 2002, 2007 and 2009, married women were consistently
found to be more obese than women who never married.
The paper goes on to suggest a couple of possible
explanations for the differences in obesity between married and unmarried women,
which include:
Traditional role of food preparation for married women
Emotional state of being married increases appetite
Decreased physical activity associated with time constraints of parental duties
Jordan’s Demographic and Health Survey (DHS) reports in
their 2017-18 key findings that 56 percent of women between the ages of 15-49 are
married and tend to have, on average, their first child at the age of 25.
Obesity and the Jordanian healthcare system
Internationally, obesity has a huge economic impact on the
healthcare system, due to its increased risk of developing non-communicable diseases
(NCD). NCD are diseases that cannot be transferred directly to another person;
people are born with them or acquire them later in life.
In 2005, it was reported that NCDs were responsible for over
half of all deaths in Jordan, the majority being cancer and heart conditions. Current
estimates based on Jordan’s population growth project 1-3 million people being
affected by diabetes, high blood pressure or high cholesterol by 2050,
resulting in increased strain on the health care system.
Throughout the last
decade, 9 percent of Jordan’s GDP has gone to total health expenditures, owing
to the government’s increased spending on the health sector. Critiques argue
that the growth rate of health expenditure in regard to Jordan’s GDP is
unsustainable in the future owing to only modest economic growth rates with an
increasingly ageing population.
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