The survey has been sponsored by Maersk Oil Qatar as part of its partnership with Action on Diabetes and the Schools Olympic Programme.
Most parents are unaware of physical activity and calorie guidelines for children, a survey into lifestyle habits in Qatar has revealed.
The Lifestyles Qatar Survey, sponsored by Maersk Oil Qatar as part of its partnership with Action on Diabetes and with the Schools Olympic Programme, looked at the physical behaviours of children, the perceptions of parents and families’ dietary and lifestyle habits.
One thousand parents with children aged between five and 18 years were surveyed in Qatar this year.
Following are some of the key findings of the survey:
lParents, children and physical activity:
The survey showed that while 72% of the parents polled do regular physical activity, the majority (61%) fall short of 30 minutes of moderate intensity activity per day. Just under half of those surveyed identified working hours as the biggest barrier to greater activity.
The research found that 90% of parents are unaware of health guidelines for children. While 81% of respondents say that their children receive physical education at school, there is little engagement from parents in supporting and encouraging their children to engage in sport, with only 30% stating that they watch their children play sport
regularly.
“It’s pleasing to see that the majority of parents are doing regular activity. However, clearly more needs to be done to highlight health guidelines, both for them and their children. The Lifestyles Qatar Survey also touches on how parents watching children play sport can embed positive habits,” said Herluf Nis Thomsen, project manager with Action on Diabetes.
Sharoud Matthis, Qatar Diabetes Association (QDA) programme manager, said: “The future of the country is children. Helping them make overall healthier choices is the basis for a better, more productive and healthy future for all of Qatar. These surveys help us identify challenges that need to be confronted so we can start working on resolving them.”
lNutrition:
There were some positive results about nutrition in the survey. The majority of parents (74%) encouraged their children to follow a healthy diet and 65% of parents prompt their children to eat breakfast.
However, worryingly, a third of parents do not know the recommended calorie intake for children and on average children of those surveyed ate less than half the recommended number of vegetables per day.
The survey also found that 30% of respondents eat fast food three or more times a week and 29% of families allow children to decide what food to eat at meal times.
“These results illustrate that motivation among parents to follow a healthy diet is high, which is promising, although vegetables are a key part of a healthy, balanced diet,” added Thomsen.
When asked about smoking habits and attitudes, 81% of parents said they would never allow their children to smoke, although just over a quarter (26%) admitted to smoking tobacco themselves on a daily basis.
lChildren’s screen time:
The Healthy Lifestyles survey indicates that parents are aware of the danger of too much sedentary activity in front of TV, online and playing computer games, but appear to be losing the battle with their children.
Seventy-seven percent of parents say they control the number of hours children spend in front of a screen, but over a quarter of children (26%) spend between three and four hours watching television and DVDs each day.
A further 46% spend one to two hours playing computer games and 52% spend up to two hours on the Internet per day.
“A healthy lifestyle is a key part of reducing the risk of diabetes. For children, that means regularly eating a balanced diet through developing a suitable dietary plan and routinely being physically active by developing regular exercise habits. However, as the Lifestyles Qatar Survey shows, parents have a role in building healthy behaviours through their own habits and in watching children play sport,” explained Thomsen.
This survey of parents is the first step in a larger research project in Qatar to look at the link between healthy lifestyles and performance at school and in sport. The study showed that the majority of participants forget the healthy lifestyle habits.
There is a solid body of research abroad that points to higher performance by children who eat a balanced diet and regularly exercise - it will be interesting to see if the same link applies in Qatar. This study will complement the work of the QDA in researching the diabetes risk factors among children in Qatar, a research sponsored by Action on Diabetes.
Dr Abdulla al-Hamaq, executive director of QDA, said: “Changing our children’s lifestyle by teaching them to make healthy food choices and to get them moving with more physical activity can be a big step towards diabetes prevention. These are simple steps to lower the chances of developing the disease; let’s all encourage our families to follow a healthy lifestyle for a better life.”
