The Gulf Group for the Study of Diabetes is holding its third international conference on Feb. 9 in Jeddah to discuss the challenges facing the Gulf nations in tackling diabetes, notably its increase in children. “Twenty-four percent of the Kingdom's population is diabetic, and the rate is rising in both children and adults, particularly in the former by the worrying rate of three percent per year,” said Dr. Abdul Aziz Al-Tuwaym of Child Diabetes and Endocrinology at King Abdul Aziz Medical City in Jeddah. “The rise in the Gulf, and particularly Saudi Arabia, is due to a ever-increasing population, increased lifespan, and obesity brought on by a modern life style involving a lack of exercise and a change in eating habits,” Al-Twaym said. Dr. Abdul Mueen Al-Agha, a Pediatrics, Diabetes and Endocrinology consultant at King Abdulaziz University, warned parents against “allowing their children to consume excessive amounts of fast food that contain large quantities of fat and calories.” The conference has been organized by the National Guard Health Affairs Department in Jeddah, King Saud Bin Abdul Aziz University for Health Sciences, and the executive office of the GCC's Council of Health Ministers.
