High prevalence of the risk of overweight and overweight among Qatari children ages 9 through 11

Testing a multicomponent lifestyle intervention for combatting childhood obesity

BACKGROUND

Childhood obesity is a major global health concern. Weight-management camps involving delivery of a program of physical activity, health education, and healthy eating are an effective treatment, although post-intervention weight-management is less well understood. Our objective was to assess the effectiveness of a weight-management camp followed by a community intervention in supporting weight-management for overweight children and children with obesity.

METHODS

Participants were overweight Qatari schoolchildren or schoolchildren with obesity, ages 8-14 years, (n = 300) recruited over a three-year period across 14 randomly selected schools in the Doha area. They attended a two-week weight management camp, then a 10-week program of weekly lifestyle education and physical activity sessions, which also included behavior change techniques. The programme was cognitive behavioural therapy (CBT)-focused with a strong element of behavioural economics blended in.

RESULTS

Participants saw a significant BMI SDS reduction as a result of the entire intervention (camp + education and activity sessions) both at the individual (p < 0.0001) and cluster/school (p = 0.0002) levels, and weight loss occurred during each intervention stage separately for the camp (p < 0.0001 for both the individual and cluster/school levels) and the lifestyle education and activity phase (p < 0.0001 and p = 0.0220 at the individual and cluster/school levels, respectively).

CONCLUSIONS

Weekly lifestyle education and activity sessions which include behavior change techniques may be useful in promoting continued weight management in the period following intensive, immersive childhood obesity interventions.

TRIAL REGISTRATION

ClinicalTrials.gov NCT02972164 , November 23, 2016.

Assessing Walking and Cycling around Schools

To encourage students to walk and cycle to school and ensure their health and safety, it is essential to provide safe and operationally efficient infrastructure around schools. This study used an audit tool to assess the infrastructure and environment around schools in the city of Doha, Qatar, with a particular emphasis on active transport (walking and cycling). The aim was to identify strengths, weaknesses, and areas for improvement. Twenty-two schools with varied education levels were assessed. Among all assessed categories, active transport items scored the lowest, requiring the most improvements. A detailed analysis was conducted based on school type (elementary, primary, high, and mixed-schools) and revealed similar results except for elementary schools (scored acceptable for active transport). The study revealed that adding bike lanes, installing bicycle parking, and providing good separation of travel modes are the most needed improvements at school sites. In summary, improving active transport could significantly improve the overall quality of the infrastructure around schools in Qatar. Such improvements could greatly encourage more school children to walk and cycle to school instead of being primarily dropped-off and picked up by their parents’ vehicles or school buses.

Parental perceptions of child's healthy diet: Evidence from a rapidly developing country

BACKGROUND

There are no studies in Qatar or in the Middle East to investigate parental perception of healthy diet in childhood.

PURPOSE

To investigate parental perception of childhood healthy diet in the State of Qatar.

METHODS

Cross-sectional prospective study at Hamad Medical Corporation, State of Qatar. Parents of children <14 years old were invited to complete a questionnaire.

RESULTS

A total of 398 parents agreed to participate, while 22 parents refused (response rate 94%). About 80% of parents were between 20 and 39 years of age, and 77% were females. Around 230 (58%) parents had ≥1 housemaid to help with housework, including food preparation. Whilst 151 children (37%) fell into the overweight and obese category, only 68 parents (17%) perceived that their child was in this category. Less than half the participants (n = 179, 45%) stated that childhood weight should be monitored prior to 5 years of age, while around 35% stated the same, but for children ages 5-14 years. Most participants (n = 324, 81%) agreed that parental eating habits could influence childhood weight. In terms of food preparation at home, mothers cooked almost 50% of the times, housemaids 30%, followed by grandmothers (16.6%), and fathers (3.4%). When asked about the frequency of school meals being prepared at home, 237 parents (60%) prepared their children's lunch box only 1-2 times per week. Moreover, 63% of parents chose the quality of food based on nutritional values, while 44% and 35% chose it based on safety and taste, respectively. When queried about whether the child's pediatrician or the primary care physician counsel families regarding childhood healthy diet, 187 families (47%) had not received counseling by their children's health care providers. Most families agreed that healthy diets lead to better school performance (n = 372, 94%) and better physical activity quality (n = 379, 96%). Compared to families living in the rural areas, parents living in the capital Doha had better insights that healthy diets result in better in school performance (p = 0.032).

CONCLUSION

Parental perception is an important target for public health interventions. Within the current sample, families were aware of the positive impact of healthy diet on overall wellbeing. Qatar is a well-resourced country and it would be cost effective to train and professionally develop pediatricians and primary care physicians to be more proactive in tackling childhood obesity.

An investigation into the lifestyle, health habits and risk factors of young adults

This project examined the lifestyle, health habits and risk factors of young adults at Qatar University. It explored the clustering and differences in dietary habits, body mass index (BMI) and physical activity (PA) amongst male and female students, both Qatari and non-Qatari. Seven hundred thirty two students aged 18–25 years completed a self-reported questionnaire and an objective measure of BMI. Males and females had a high prevalence of being overweight and obesity and low levels of PA, according to well-established international standards. Three clusters were identified based on the students’ lifestyle and dietary habits. Cluster 1 (high risk factors) included those who engaged the least in healthy dietary practices and consumed the most unhealthy foods, participated in less PA and had the highest BMI. Cluster 2 (moderate risk factors) included those with considerably more habits falling into the moderate category, engagement in the most PA, the least TV and computer viewing time and had the lowest BMI. Cluster 3 (low risk factors) included those who engaged the most with the four healthy dietary practices, the least with the four unhealthy dietary practices and participated in moderate PA per week. This project provides valuable data that could be used by policy makers to address issues concerning student’s health.

Childhood overweight and obesity in Qatar: A literature review

Childhood obesity and overweight have reached epidemic proportions in both developed as well as some developing countries including Qatar. This paper is a literature review of studies published in the last 10 years in the area of childhood overweight and obesity in the state of Qatar. A high gross domestic product in Qatar has led to a high socio economic status among the Qatari population and the adoption western lifestyles that promote childhood overweight and obesity. Risk factors for overweight and obesity include poor dietary habits, lack of physical activity, sedentary lifestyles and socio-cultural practices. The prevalence of childhood overweight and obesity in Qatar was found to be comparable to other GCC countries. The state of Qatar is called upon to prioritize this public health issue and implement interventions to combat the problem.