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Obesity in Kuwait

Statement of the Problem

Obesity is a serious health condition that results in the addition of fats and calories in the human body. The problem perpetuates itself in the body of a human being as a result of the slow pace of burning glucose in the body. The accumulation of the excess fat results in a significant body weight increase and size. The health repercussions are serious and the government of Kuwait is making an effort to tackle this significant health issue. There are several measures in place to combat the health problem in the country, as well as educate the public on the importance of credible eating habits. There are several health organizations in the country that are making an effort to increase awareness about the health problem and enable people to lead healthy lifestyles.

PAST STUDIES AND LITERATURES

According to a recent study by the Imperial College London, Harvard University, and the World Health Organization, Kuwait has ranked second in obesity, just behind United States (Study also incorporates BMI). This paper analyses the reasons for the obesity problems in Kuwait.

Lack of physical workouts and junk food habits are the major cited reasons for the obesity problems among people. This is true in the case of Kuwaitis also. High income helps Kuwaitis to spend any amount of money for tasty foods. In other words, income has definitely a direct relationship with the obesity problems in Kuwait. According to a study conducted by Zaghloul et al. energy intake among Kuwaitis is extremely more than what is actually required for a person. It was higher than the estimated energy requirements for almost half of Kuwaiti children and one-third of adults. The Estimated Average Requirement was exceeded by 78–100 % of the recommendation for protein and carbohydrates. It should be noted that majority of the energy drinks and foods contain excessive sugar and fat contents. Sugar and fat are responsible for causing obesity. These food and drink items are extremely expensive compared to normal food and drink items. Only high income people will be able to spend money for these items. In other words, high income is causing obesity among Kuwaitis.

Another reason for obesity among Kuwaitis is the globalization. It should be noted that globalization has brought many life style changes in this world. Because of globalization, it is easy for fast food chains to establish food outlets anywhere in the world. Foreign direct investments are welcomed in almost all the countries because of globalization. As a result of that, global fast food companies such as KFC, McDonalds and Burger King are able to establish food outlets in any country at present. The case of Kuwait is not an exception. Because of globalization, a variety of fast food companies have already established restaurants in Kuwait. According to the arguments in the article “Is Globalization Making Us Fat” Social globalization, have a significant impact on obesity. A social mismatch is there among the people because of globalization. This mismatch results in differences in the energy consumption levels of the people. In other words, physical and cultural environments are key elements behind obesity (Is Globalization Making Us Fat?). According to Kumiya et al.,(p.1027) in highland areas worldwide, socioeconomic globalization is progressing urbanization. This urbanization caused by socioeconomic globalization results in the development of transportation. As a result of that, people get enough opportunities for transportation and hence their mobility has been reduced a lot. Lack of mobility or physical workout is another reason for the increased prevalence of obesity among people.

To conclude, obesity in Kuwait is caused by high income of the people and the globalization. High income helped Kuwaitis to purchase expensive food items which are filled with high volumes of fat and sugar. On the other hand, globalization helped Kuwaitis to urbanize almost the entire corner of the country and thereby prevented Kuwaitis from getting enough mobility.

Hypothesis

There is a relationship between income and obesity.

There is a relationship between globalization and obesity.

RESULTS AND ANALYSIS

Correlations: WEIGHT, INCOME

Pearson correlation of WEIGHT and INCOME = 0.585; P-Value = 0.415

The Pearson Product-moment correlation coefficient which is the measure of linear relationship that exists between weight and income indicated there is a positive linear relationship between these two variables of the study. With r = 0.585 and P-value = 0.415, we can deduce that although the degree of the linear relationship between income and weight is not very strong, it is positive, a justification of the existence of a linear relationship. This linear relationship can be represented graphically as below.

Weight

r = 0.585

0.415

Income

0

With a significance level of 0.01 (99%), it is worth concluding that income and weigh are correlated since r = 0.585 > P-value = 0.415, an indication of a positive association between income and weight. The two variables, therefore, move in the same direction. As income increases, weight also increases at 0.585.

Regression Analysis: WEIGHT versus INCOME

The regression equation is WEIGHT = 103 + 0.0633 INCOME or W = 103 + 0.0633Y

The linearility of the relationship between weight and income can further be measured by conducting a regression analysis.

Predictor Coef SECoef T P

Constant 102.55 15.60 6.57 0.022

Income 0.06330 0.06208 1.02 0.415

R-Square (r2) = 0.34.2

Adjusted R – 0.013

Standard Error – 16.64

Observations – 50

The regression analysis results reaffirms that weight and income have a linear relationship with a coefficient of 0.0633. Although this linear relationship is very weak, it does exist. The R-Square (which is the measured of coefficient of determination between the two variables) indicated that the predictability of weigh and income was 34.2%, hence, 34.2% of the variation weight can be directly explained by changes in income. This linear relationship can be graphically represented as below:

Weight

W = 103 + 0.0633Y

103

0Income

Testing of the Hypothesis

Ho: There is a relationship between income and obesity – Accepted

H1: There is no relationship between income and obesity – Rejected

From the above statistical analysis, we can deduce that there is a statistically significance relationship between income and weight, hence obesity. As income increases, the weight increases but less proportionately, thus increasing the chances of obesity among the tested population.

Works Cited

Is Globalization Making Us Fat? IESE Insight.Second Quarter 2013, Issue 17, p10-10. Print

Kumiya, Kiyohito; Ishine, Masayuki; Kasahara, Yoriko; Wada, Taizo; Sakamoto, Ryota; Kosaka, Yasuyuki; Ishimoto, Yasuko; Hirosaki, Mayumi; Kimura, Yumi; Fujisawa, Michiko; Otsuka, Kuniaki; Tan, Xiaoxia; Zhang, Hai; Zhao, Haijuan; Er, Wu; Yin, Shaoting; Matsubayashi, Kozo. “The effects of socioeconomic globalization on health and aging in highlanders compared to lowlanders in Yunnan, China, and Kochi, Japan”.Ecological Research. Nov2011, Vol. 26 Issue 6, p1027-1038. Print

“Study also incorporates BMI”. Arab Times. 30/03/2014. Print

Zaghloul, Sahar; Al-Hooti, Suad N; Al-Hamad, Nawal; Al-Zenki, Sameer; Alomirah, Husam; Alayan, Iman; Al-Attar, Hassan; Al-Othman, Amani; Al-Shami, Entessar; Al-Somaie, Mona; Jackson, Robert T. Evidence for nutrition transition in Kuwait: over-consumption of macronutrients and obesity. Public Health Nutrition. Apr2013, Vol. 16 Issue 4, p596-607. Print