Overview
physical activity at a sufficient level. Not surprisingly, adolescents and children appear to follow similar unhealthy lifestyles. Addressing these risk factors will require multisectoral and population-wide approaches beyond an individual-level focus. Chapter 4 provides a forecasting analysis of the health burden of obesity in Saudi Arabia. It presents a picture of the forthcoming developments in the country, particularly the important impact that childhood obesity will have on the NCD disease burden. The forecasting study puts a special focus on six major causes of disability and death associated with high BMI: ischemic heart disease, stroke, type 2 diabetes, breast cancer, colon cancer, and leukemia. The links between lack of physical activity and unhealthy diet on overweight and obesity are well documented. Reductions in overweight and obesity from 2020 to 2050 have the potential to substantially improve overall health and reduce the NCD burden. The chapter shows how obesity’s health burden will increase in the next three decades if nothing is done and calculates how modest changes in diet and physical activity can reduce the disability-adjusted life year burden from obesity by 4–8 percent. Chapter 5 models the economic burden of obesity in Saudi Arabia. Explaining the different methodologies used to capture direct and indirect costs of obesity, it calculates the estimated direct costs of obesity to be 7 percent of current health expenditure. Absenteeism caused by obesity may reduce gross domestic product by 1.42 percent annually. Such costs can be prevented and minimized through high-impact, multicomponent interventions that reduce the risk factors of obesity. Chapter 6 reviews the global literature on the link between obesity and COVID-19 and emphasizes the need for investment and intervention. The chapter demonstrates that, while physical distancing and stay-at-home policies may have exacerbated adverse weight and health situations, the overweight and obese populations face a greater risk of severe consequences from COVID-19 than those with a healthy weight, including hospitalization, intensive clinical care requirements, and death. Moreover, obesity is likely to reduce the effectiveness of both treatment for those with severe infection and vaccines through mechanisms similar to those responsible for the greater primary infection risk. The chapter shows that there is an opportunity to step up research and collect more high-quality data on the relationship between BMI and COVID-19 in areas with a relatively young population such as Saudi Arabia. Chapter 7 provides an in-depth review of current nutrition- and obesity-related policies in Saudi Arabia and considers the evidence to date on additional policies implemented elsewhere. The chapter notes the multiple stakeholder groups and current strategies and policies in place to address obesity (for example, the Saudi Center of Disease Control Obesity Strategy 2020–30). While many measures have already been implemented in Saudi Arabia, the chapter highlights the need for monitoring and evaluation of existing interventions and provides a review of evidence on additional policies for potential consideration in the country. The document ends with chapter 8, which uses a food systems approach to nutrition- and obesity-related policies in Saudi Arabia and culminates with designing a Saudi Arbia–specific nutrient profiling model. The chapter reviews lessons learned from other countries with integrated and systems-based strategies (Chile, Mexico, and the United Kingdom). A nutrient profiling model to
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