Having just returned to the UK after spending a week in the United Arab Emirates (UAE) and a week in Croatia, Montenegro and Bosnia-Herzegovina, it once again opened my eyes to the stark contrast between the way of life in different countries. .
I was pleasantly surprised by how active and healthy the people seemed to be, especially from Crotia, Montenegro and Bosnia-Herzegovina. While I was there I didn’t notice many people who were overweight or obese and it seemed that the locals used public transport and/or walked much more than in many other countries. Especially compared to the United Arab Emirates where most people have their own car and drive EVERYWHERE.
Another observation I made was the limited number of fast food chains and outlets I found in Croatia, Montenegro and Bosnia-Herzegovina, again compared to the United Arab Emirates and even the UK. I only saw TWO McDonalds, no Costa Coffee, Starbucks, Burger King, or Kentucky Fried Chicken (of course, there are probably more, but compared to the UAE, where there are hundreds of fast food chains/shops everywhere, they were surprisingly well hidden or very few of them in these three countries). In addition, there were also very few banners and advertisements for fast food on the streets of the three countries mentioned above.
As a healthcare professional and being the outgoing and curious person that I am, I am always very interested in hearing about the lifestyle in the different countries I visit. That’s why when I travel I usually contact some of the locals to see and hear how they live.
People in Croatia were friendly, open-minded and generally spoke very good English, so it was quite easy for me to get in touch with people. I talked to quite a few people in stores, on the street, and in restaurants, and ended up having very nice and interesting conversations about health, food, and life in general. Also, in Bosnia-Herzegovina I tried to talk to people. However, it was a bit more difficult for me as not many people spoke English or at least very good English. But still I managed to find two very nice and friendly people with whom I had some interesting conversations. Surprisingly, people from Croatia and Bosnia-Herzegovina told me very similar things when I asked them about food/fast food and eating out. They all mentioned that eating out only happens rarely and that people usually cook their own food at home. I was so happy when I heard this as this is how I grew up and I think it should be. When I was a kid, we only went to McDonalds on special occasions, like birthdays, and we were only allowed candy on the weekends. However, this has changed in most households and countries, and now fast food, sweets, ice cream, soft drinks, etc. it is an everyday food and it is no longer a pleasure.
However, the people I spoke with mentioned that the younger generation has started to change and that fast food is becoming more and more popular. Therefore, in the last decade a prevalence of adolescent obesity has been observed, this change is not only due to economic growth, but also to technological advances and the impact of the media, which are part of the growing globalization .
Just look at the United Arab Emirates. There is an incredible amount of wealth in this country, but on the contrary, they face a huge crisis in the number of overweight and/or obese children, as it is suggested that a third of children in the UAE are overweight and/or obese. or obese. In addition, they rank second highest in the world for the prevalence of diabetes. So much for being a rich nation!
Obesity is generally a touchy subject and especially when it comes to childhood obesity as parents tend not to want to admit that their child is overweight or obese or they basically can’t see it. However, in the United Arab Emirates a person is perceived as “healthy” when they are overweight, making it difficult to change public perceptions of what constitutes a healthy weight and what is overweight or obese. Campaigns and strategies have begun to combat childhood obesity and raise awareness of the growing importance of nutrition and physical activity, but there is still a long way to go.
Childhood obesity is increasing in much of the world and has become part of globalization. Therefore, we must stop, think and act on this before it gets out of control, as obesity is often linked to other comorbidities such as diabetes, hypertension, cardiovascular diseases, etc. which can not only decrease one’s happiness but more significantly one’s life expectancy.
Think, stop and act today and always!
Ana
