Larger proportion of Omani adolescents is in the grip of non-communicable diseases (NCDs) due to lack of enough physical activity.
“One in three Omani adults is inactive while even larger proportions of adolescents and college students do not have any physical activity”, says a report.
The main NCDs are cardiovascular diseases, cancer, diabetes, chronic renal diseases and chronic obstructive pulmonary diseases (COPD).
“These diseases are a result of a global epidemic of modifiable and preventable behavioural and biological risk factors among the Oman population such as smoking, unhealthy diet, and physical inactivity”, says the report by United Nations Interagency Task Force on the Prevention and Control of NCDs.
According to World Health Organisation (WHO), more than 40 per cent of adult Omanis have hypertension and 12 per cent have been diagnosed with diabetes. In addition, an estimated 30.9 per cent of the Sultanate’s population is classified as obese or overweight.
NCDs cause 68 per cent of total deaths and 18 per cent of these deaths occur amongst people between the ages of 30 and 70 years.
“This means that nearly one of every five adult dies from NCDs before they should”, points out the report.
WHO recommends that adults do at least 30 minutes of moderate physical activity on most days of the week and children and adolescents do an hour daily.
Experts stress that urgent steps are need for coordinated action between health and other relevant sectors to reduce the prevalence of NCDs in the country.
Osama Makkawi, Unicef Representative in Oman, said, “Tackling non-communicable diseases is critical as it will support the children of Oman in reaching their full potential and living in a disease free environment.”
According to Dr Said al Lamki, Director-General of Primary Health Care, the social and economic transformation enjoyed by the Sultanate and the changing lifestyle and lack of physical activity has contributed significantly to the rise in cardiovascular disease.
In December last, the Ministry of Health launched a physical activity campaign to persuade and motivate a population to consider becoming more physically active.
Reports say that NCDs kill 38 million people annually, with almost 75 per cent of those deaths occurring in countries which are below middle income.
At the same time, the outlook for developing countries is dire with NCDs expected to cause more deaths in Africa than communicable, maternal, and nutritional illnesses by 2030,
Apart from its large scale threat to lives, they can destabilise economies, especially in countries with limited health care infrastructure.
SAMUEL KUTTY
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