People in middleast don't want to workout to get in shape so they look for easy ways - Essay Example

due: People in Middle East do not want to work out to get in shape so they look for easy ways: General framework In this paper, I will be working on the topic overweight and obesity. I will be researching on the Middle East region, particularly Saudi Arabia. WHO reports revealed that this nation is ranked with 35.6% obese residents, making it the third highest in the globe (Oxford Business Group 181). This region is mostly known for its Islamic architecture. I chose this topic because the issue of obesity and overweight has still not been handled conclusively even with numerous technology on weight loss machinery and diets.

More and more individuals are writing books on weight loss, and more gymnasiums have opened more than ever before, but the number of people losing weight around the world is not adding up to an appropriate number who should be fit due to the technology. For this paper, I will go by the thesis statement that people in the Middle East, Saudi Arabia do use alternative methods of losing weight rather than working out. Residents of the Middle East do not want to work out to get in shape, so they look for easy ways.

Specific focusAccording to the World Health Organization, obesity in the Middle East is a notable health issue. WHO results showed that approximately 1.6 billion people were overweight, and 400 million residents were obese. According to probability statistics, by the year 2015, 700 million individuals will be obese, and 2.3 billion people will be overweight; this number includes both adolescent and adults (World Health Organization 60). The spread of the Western lifestyle usually defined as the consumption of attractive energy dense meals with undesirable composition, elevated consumption of animal fats and sugars and decreased or non- consumption of dietary fiber, along with a lack of sufficient physical activity- is one of the principal origins of obesity and overweight problems in the Middle East (Roya 439).

In as much as there are great numbers of individuals in the US who are obese, it is not bizarre to see people working out to get in shape. In the US, most people take exercise seriously and they exercise extensively and religiously as opposed to people in the Middle East especially Saudi Arabia (Al-Hazzaa 663-670). The difference in culture could be the reason as to why people in the US work out as opposed to those in Saudi Arabia. People do not necessarily work out in a gymnasium, but they run around their neighborhoods in the morning or afternoon.

This routine makes the obesity situation in the US better than that of the Saudi Arabia. It is almost impossible to see people in the Middle East working out to get in shape and especially women because of cultural boundaries (Brewis 31). The government has taken it upon its self to encourage people in this region to lose weight. According to Fitch ‘Your Weight in Gold’ campaign, is one of the methods in which the city has been trying to incentivize residents to lose weight (Fitch). Apart from such initiatives, there are numerous eating plans, nutritional advice campaigns and diets in the Middle East.

These are meant to encourage people to drop their unhealthy fatty foods and adopt healthy foods like vegetables and proteins. People in Saudi Arabia prefer to the numerous diet plans as opposed to working out. The diet plan is an easier alternative of weight-loss. Since working out is not an option for most Middle Eastern, some go for diets but lack the discipline to continue with them and keep from fatty foods, which are often very tasty. When traditional ways of weight loss have failed, people turn to alternative methods like surgery for weight loss.

The Middle East, especially Dubai is commonly known for the numerous doctors who specialize in plastic surgery and surgery for weight loss. Weight loss surgery is becoming common in the Middle East because it has been discovered that Gastric bypass surgical procedure for weight loss in obese individuals has proved to be successful at reducing weight and currently, it has been shown to cure type II diabetes, a common disease in obese people. In conclusion, the weight problem in the Middle East is far from over since the only effective way of keeping shape is through continuous physical activity a process most Middle Eastern people are not willing to take (Thomas 39).

Works citedAl-Hazzaa, H. M. "Prevalence of physical inactivity in Saudi Arabia: a brief review." EasternMediterranean Health Journal 10.4/5 (2004): 663-670.Brewis, Alexandra A. Obesity: Cultural and Biocultural Perspectives. New Brunswick, N.J:Rutgers University Press, 2011. Print.Fitch, Asa. Lose weight, get gold in Dubai. 2013. Retrieved fromhttp://blogs.wsj.com/middleeast/2013/11/17/lose-weight-get-gold-in-dubai/Global Health Risks: Mortality and Burden of Disease Attributable to Selected Major Risks.

Geneva, Switzerland: World Health Organization, 2009. Print.Roya Kelishadi. Obesity and associated modifiable environment factors in Iranian adolescents:Isfahan Health Heart Promotion from Childhood. 2003 p 439. PrintThomas, Justin. Psychological Well-Being in the Gulf States: The New Arabia Felix. , 2013.Internet resource.The Report: Emerging Saudi Arabia 2008. London: Oxford Business Group, 2008. Print.