Medical doctors and academics have issued a dire warning about the increasing spread of many fatal diseases caused by obesity among children. They attributed obesity in Saudi society to a lack of exercise, a widespread culture of eating fast food, and sedentary lifestyles due to sitting for lengthy hours playing video games. Dr. Ayed Al-Qahtani, obesity consultant at the College of Medicine at King Saud University, said it is necessary for children to do rigorous physical activities to fight obesity. He also called for special pedestrian pathways to encourage people to walk. “The roads leading to schools should be improved. Specialist sports facilities for children need to be established. These should be free of charge or at a minimum cost,” he said, adding that schoolchildren should make a habit of walking and riding bicycles. Maha Khaled, a nutrition consultant, also called for greater emphasis on playing sports in addition to awareness about nutritious diets. “Dieting will not be useful without sports,” she said, adding that people should exercise daily. “If there are no clubs to do sports, we should at least walk every day for at least one hour,” she added. Khaled called for wider cooperation from all sections of society to fight obesity among children, something that could potentially lead to heart and blood diseases. “There are more than 3 million obese children in the Kingdom,” she said quoting official statistics. She added that about 36 percent of the Kingdom's population is obese. Ali Al-Ghamdi, a social guide at a public school, underscored the importance of physical education in all government and private schools. “Lack of movement and the widespread use of electronic games ... that keep children glued to their seats constitute a serious threat to the lives of our children,” he said. Al-Ghamdi said there is a need to give special importance to physical education in all schools to make up for the long hours children spend sitting. He added that schools should give attention to all sorts of sports, not just soccer. Muhammad Al-Harbi's son, who does not like soccer, is in elementary school. He said his son is always reluctant to go to school on Wednesdays because students usually play football on that day. Al-Harbi called on schools to encourage students to play other types of sports including basketball, volleyball, tennis and so on. “Students should have the choice to play their favorite sports. They should not be forced to play only football,” he said. Dr. Nura Al-Faiz, deputy minister of education for girl's education, has said the ministry is currently involved in drawing a comprehensive sports strategy for both male and female students. She said the project would start by developing a basic infrastructure for physical exercise in schools and that this would culminate in the spreading of awareness regarding health and nutrition. “This is part of a comprehensive vision to provide equal sports opportunities to male and female students at all educational levels,” she said. In a letter to Sarah Leah Whitson, executive director of the Human Rights Watch's Middle East and North Africa Division, the deputy minister denied that the ministry punishes schools in which girls play sports. “This is a false allegation,” she said. Al-Faiz pointed out that many private schools for girls allow female students to play sports during school hours. “Sports have been included in the curriculum of many private girls' schools,” she said. Khlood Ahmed, a sports trainer at a private hospital, said a number of obese female elementary and intermediate students were practicing sports in the hospital's health club. She stressed the importance of morning practice and said physical activities are important for blood circulation. “Sports clear minds and enable students to apply themselves to studies, thus producing better educational results,” she said. __
