BAHRAIN is sitting on a health time bomb unless it does more to promote healthy lifestyles, according to a top official. Health Ministry health education director Dr Amal Al Jowder delivered the warning after a survey revealed that 94 per cent of the population eat fast food an average of three times a week.
It also found only 9pc of women take part in sports activities and 25pc confessed they do none at all, while the rest admitted to doing so sporadically.
The Bahrain Centre for Studies and Research (BCSR) study said just 37pc of men were active and 14pc were not involved in any sports activity.
The majority of participants – 95pc of women and 63pc of men – in the study said they did not smoke.
However, it also showed that smoking sheesha had become popular among women with nearly two-thirds saying they smoked it compared to 37pc who smoke sheesha and cigarettes.
Only 26pc of men polled said they smoked sheesha, while 26pc smoke Sheesha and cigarettes, with the rest revealing they only smoke cigarettes.
The BCSR questioned around 300 people from a wide cross-section of society aged 17 to 50.
Dr Al Jowder said the results of the survey should act as an alarm for everyone to work harder towards promoting healthy habits.
“The numbers reflect the changes in food habits and how Bahrain changed socially and culturally,” she said.
Dr Al Jowder stressed that all parties needed to work together to encourage more people to adopt healthier lifestyles.
“This will be a big challenge for all of us,” she said.
“We need to promote healthy behaviour and give motivation.”
Dr Al Jowder warned that if urgent action was not taken, in 20 years time the ratio of patients with diabetes, heart diseases and high blood pressure would increase drastically.
Meanwhile, the report revealed that 35pc of women said they watch television for more than four hours a day, along with 25pc of men with only 10pc saying they rarely watched.
A total of 40pc of men and 32pc of women also said they use the Internet for more than four hours daily.