More than 70% young children in Oman skip exercise

Muscat: A shocking 70 per cent of schoolboys and 84 per cent of schoolgirls in Oman do not exercise enough, according to studies.
Children between five to 17 years old need at least 60 minutes of exercise per day, according to the World Health Organisation.
Studies showed that 37 per cent of Omanis do not exercise enough, which contributes to a rise in noncommunicable diseases in the country, according to Dr Said Al Lamki, general director for primary health care. Among those contracting these diseases, “the global average is 28 per cent among men and 34 per cent among women,” said Al Lamki.
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Since the lack of exercise in the Sultanate has surpassed the global average, a national campaign to promote physical activity began on Tuesday, under the slogan ‘Health Starts With a Step’.
Quoting international reports, Dr Huda Khalfan Al Siyabi, director of community based initiatives for the Ministry of Health (MoH), said that 9 per cent of deaths before the age of 70 were fuelled by a lack of exercising.
She added that the majority of school children in Oman do not exercise enough.
Eating junk foods, smoking, drinking alcohol and skipping exercise contributes to contracting NCDs, such as diabetes, cancer, heart diseases and others.
Oman records some 5,000 new cases of diabetes each year.
Currently, there are at least 82,000 cases of diabetes in the MoH medical centres, according to Dr Ahmed Al Busaidi, head of the national committee for combating chronic NCDs.
The MoH provides free checkups for nationals beginning at the age of 40 years old.
“Around 18,000 people who were thought to be healthy have turned up at the health centres in 2015,” said Al Busaidi.
He explained that 36 per cent of this group were overweight, 35 per cent obese, 10 per cent diabetic and 21 per cent had issues with their kidneys.
“Keep in mind that they all were assuming that they are free of any illness,” he pointed out.
Hence, the one-year campaign aims at launching a number of initiatives in 2017, including promoting exercise in schools, taking part in international walking week, and participating in Muscat Festival, Khareef Salalah and the Book Fair.