Saudi Min. urges more GCC efforts to curb spiraling obesity, diabetes

(MENAFN- Kuwait News Agency (KUNA)) Saudi Minister of Health Khalid bin Abdulaziz Al-Faleh urged Arab Gulf countries to increase their efforts, especially awareness campaigns, to help curb the spread of obesity and diabetes in the region.
Speaking at the opening of a conference on controlling obesity and diabetes in the Gulf Cooperation Council states, Al-Faleh underlined the need for persuading and encouraging people adopt healthy lifestyles.
He suggested building a partnership between public and private institutions in the region to curb the spiral of the obesity and its related diseases. According to figures of the International Diabetes Federation (IDF), roughly one in five people has diabetes in the Arabian Gulf region. The IDF data also shows that three Gulf countries, namely Kuwait, Saudi Arabia and Qatar, are in the top 10 nations globally for the highest prevalence of the disease.
There are more than 34.6 million people in the Middle East and North Africa have diabetes, which accounts for 10.9 percent of people world-wide with the disease, and costs governments in the region more than USD 12 billion in treatment each year, the IDF has revealed.