The Ministry of Education, last year, promised to improve the sports programs in boys' schools and to start offering physical education classes for girls as well. However, girls in the government schools are still waiting for these promises to materialize as their schools entirely lack any form of physical exercise classes. On the other hand, most private schools for girls provide a wide range of physical activities for their students that are not just fun but also good for the body –– including soccer, basketball, races, volleyball, and others. The World Health Organization (WHO) has recently sent recommendations to authorities in the Kingdom on the importance of physical exercise for the health of our school girls. Dr. Haifa Madi, health protection and promotion director for the WHO, said: “New programs and strategies are being implemented by the WHO to combat the most common health problems which are threatening the Middle Eastern region – more specifically, the non-communicable diseases. Excessive weight gain, obesity, a sedentary lifestyle, smoking, and consuming foods with poor nutritional quality are significant factors in the spread of chronic diseases in the Gulf region that could result in mortality.” Diabetes, heart diseases, osteoarthritis, osteoporosis, and even cancer can be prevented by adopting a healthy lifestyle: sticking to regular aerobic exercise five days a week, not smoking, eating a diet rich in fruits, vegetables, and fibers and low in saturated fats, chemical additives, and cholesterol. “Physical exercise is a positive addition to any educational program due to its long list of benefits. Regular exercise must be taught from a young age and incorporated in schools so that it becomes a life-time habit that is practiced during childhood, adolescence, and continues into adulthood. Physical activity increases energy levels, prevents weight gain, burns fats stored up in the body, and lowers the risk of non-communicable diseases. Physical activity must be introduced into schools to halt the alarmingly high rise in type-II diabetes witnessed among children in Saudi Arabia and the other Gulf countries,” said Madi. Lina Al-Maeena, co-founder of Jeddah United Sports Co., said, “In addition to all the physical and psychological health benefits of introducing school sports programs for girls, sports and physical exercise have a lot of social benefits. Playing sports and being part of a team teaches the girls important values, such as teamwork, cooperation, discipline, sharing a team spirit, and leadership skills. Al-Maeena said due to the luring attractions of technology, Internet, and smart phones, the youth may spend six to seven hours a day sitting in front of a screen. This could harm their eyes and backs, and lack of exercise leads to weight gain. Excessive use of the worldwide web has its own risks because parents can no longer control or at least supervise what their children are being exposed to, Al Maeena added. For example, Al-Maeena explains, a teenager from her own bedroom can be communicating over the Internet with a complete stranger in another part of the world. “We need to encourage the younger generation to be more involved in alternative activities and be more physically active.”
