GAZA CITY, Gaza Strip — Mona Hussein’s diabetes
and hypertension, acquired during a pregnancy two years ago, have pushed her to
see a dietitian. Her social life has deteriorated due to her obesity,
as she now weighs 95 kilograms (209 pounds).
Hussein, 30, told
Al-Monitor, “My desire to wear a smaller size has increased my excitement.
I want to participate in all social occasions without being ashamed [of my
body]. Not to mention the awkward situations I found myself in and the criticism
against my figure that worsened due to my excessive weight.”
Though Mona was
concerned about the possible repercussions of a diet on her health, she found a
doctor who has helped her adopt a diet to help her lose weight in a healthy
fashion. She believes she has made the right choice.
Samah Khaled, 26,
from Gaza City, believes that her excess weight has stood in the way of her
finding a husband, so five months ago she consulted a dietitian and has now
lost over 40 kilograms (88 pounds).
“In an attempt to
change my social life and enter a new phase, especially since most of my
friends are now married, I decided to resort to a dietitian to lose weight and
have a better figure. I was more convinced by the idea of diets after meeting
women who lost a large part of their body weight,” she explained.
Samah said
that her psychological state has improved since her weight loss, as have
her chances at finding a husband.
Obesity has
become prevalent in the Gaza Strip, as confirmed by the increasing demand on
dietitians. Ata Qaisi, health care consultant and owner of Gaza
City's Diet Center, said obesity can have negative repercussions on a
person's life, making him or her more vulnerable to hypertension, diabetes
and joint pain. Obese women are also more susceptible to pregnancy
complications and miscarriages, according to Qaisi.
Qaisi told
Al-Monitor that there is a large demand in Gaza for weight-loss
programs. “The comfort is in the improvement of the figure and this is
what we seek through our programs, which are supposed to be followed through
diets and not only by relying on weight loss. When the person finds that the
weight has been reduced and the shape has been improved, his or her entire
life completely changes. This is how people find comfort in their hearts and
minds,” he said.
Qaisi said that
many Palestinians have consulted weight-loss centers, either in a bid to treat
obesity or just to shed a few pounds ahead of a social event. Only five
weight-loss centers can be found in the Gaza Strip, according to Qaisi.
Statistics on the number of nutritionists in Gaza are unavailable.
Some people
consume herbal supplements or take pills to lose weight in a short period
of time, said Qaisi, yet this often results in complications and does not help
individuals lose weight. Qaisi estimated that women represent
95% of weight-loss program clients.
In the Gaza
Strip, a high proportion of people suffer from obesity. “Only 18% to 25%
of the Strip’s residents have a normal weight," he said. "The rest
are suffering from obesity because of the nature of our life pattern, in
addition to the unbalanced social lifestyle, bad eating habits, food
traditions and dessert consumption.”
He added, “Such a
large proportion is the result of common diseases such as diabetes, stress,
cancer and rheumatism. If, for example, the proportion of patients with
high blood pressure is 30% of the population, know that 97% of them are due to
obesity and the rest are due to accidental causes.”
Suhail al-Qishawi,
an endocrinology and diabetes consultant, told Al-Monitor that obesity puts one
at risk for Type 2 diabetes, as do other factors such as lack of exercise,
age and genetics.
“Obesity is now
classified as a disease that results in high blood pressure, because it is
often associated with the pancreas producing less insulin due to the fat on the
organ. This causes diabetes among obese persons. Patients with Type 2 diabetes
in the Gaza Strip represent more than 95% of patients with diabetes in general,
which means that around 95% of diabetes patients got it as a result of
obesity,” he said.
Despite the
deteriorating economic situation in the Gaza Strip, residents’
awareness of the danger of obesity has pushed many to seek out the
services of weight-loss centers to help them overcome the disease.
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