Health in Bahrain

Last updated

Life expectancy in Bahrain at birth in 2013 was 76 for men and 78 for women. [1] Compared to many countries in the region, the prevalence of AIDS and HIV is relatively low. [2] Malaria and tuberculosis (TB) do not constitute major problems in Bahrain as neither disease is indigenous to the country. As a result, cases of malaria and TB have declined in recent decades with cases of contractions amongst Bahraini nationals becoming rare. [2] The Ministry of Health sponsors regular vaccination campaigns against TB and other diseases such as hepatitis B. [2] [3]

Contents

Bahrain is currently suffering from an obesity epidemic as 28.9% of all males and 38.2% of all females are classified as obese. [4] Cardiovascular diseases account for 32% of all deaths in Bahrain, being the number one cause of death in the country (the second being cancer). [5] Sickle cell anaemia and thalassaemia are prevalent in the country, with a study concluding that 18% of Bahrainis are carriers of sickle cell anaemia while 24% are carriers of thalassaemia. [6]

Obesity

The Food and Agriculture Organization estimates that almost 66% of the adult population of Bahrain is overweight or obese. [7] In 2000, it was determined that amongst children age 12–17, 29.9% of boys and 42.4% of girls were overweight. The MONICA project, sponsored by the WHO, found that 15.6% of boys and 17.4% of girls in high school were obese. Bahrain also has one of the highest prevalence of diabetes in the world (5th place), with more than 15% of the Bahraini population suffering from the disease, and accounting for 5% of deaths in the country. [8]

Increased consumption of fast food and predominance of sedentary lifestyles have led to this occurrence. These unhealthy eating habits are reinforced in school canteens, where high fat and high carbohydrate foods such as pizza, burgers, sandwiches, and za'atar, are available for lunch. Between meal times, children prefer French fries, chocolate, and soda, which lack micronutrients and dietary fiber. [9]

Smoking

Within the last 10 years, Bahrain has enforced stricter laws on smoking. Research suggested that the leading health problem among its people is coronary disease, therefore the leaders issued laws in hopes to help the health of their country. [10] Smoking is not just the issue, but all forms of tobacco products. The largest ban that the Bahraini leaders decided on was the ban of smoking or the use of tobacco products from public places. [11] More specifically, public places include any form of public transportation, schools and universities, entertainment venues, elevators, places of worship, etc. [11] The managers of these specific places are required, by law, to make it obvious with a physical sign notifying the customers that their places prohibit smoking. [11] The signs should be where the people can see them and the managers should take them seriously as well. Also, Bahrain has set up designated smoking areas for smokers that are away from the prohibited smoking areas that must be “equipped with special ventilation fans” so that the smoke fumes will not exit and go to the public. [11]

In addition to the ‘no smoking in public places’ law, Bahrain has also issued a law on the advertisement of smoking and tobacco products in general. Tobacco products include cigarettes, cigars, various electronic cigarettes, hookahs, and chewing tobacco. Hookahs and the water pipes are common. Physicians have studied uses of tobacco and the conclusion was that the physicians in Bahrain smoke water pipes more than cigarettes, but they are still as harmful to the body. [12] The advertisement of any of these tobacco products is against the law in Bahrain. It is illegal to endorse these over billboards, advertisements, or commercials to “promote or encourage smoking”. [11] The laws and regulations that you must follow in Bahrain are extremely evident and everyone has access to what these laws are. If someone were to disobey the laws that are in place, they will get fined and face legal issues. [11] For example, if a police officer were to see someone explicitly smoking in a designated non-smoking area, he/she has every right to fine that individual. The fine is 20 BD which is $50 in the American dollars. [13]

The smoking laws were originally put in place to protect the health of the people who live in or may visit Bahrain in the future. A study look into Bahraini men “was to determine the knowledge on tobacco smoking and past smoking related behavior”. [14] The results showed that 26.3% smoked in front of a child and 76.2% have smoked in front of another person. [14] It is very clear that the people living in Bahrain lacked knowledge of the hazards of second-hand smoking. In addition, the leaders decided on a law that is extremely important. This law is the law that forbids anyone to smoke tobacco in the vicinity of a child, specifically in an enclosed automobile. [15] This law was created and put into action to protect the child's health. “The level of the mother’s and father’s education significantly influenced the exposure of children to passive smoking” studies have shown. [16] Although the child is not actually smoking the tobacco product, the child can undergo second-hand smoke exposure which scientists have revealed that it could be worse than first-hand. The side effects of smoking and second-hand smoking are all bad and sessions with a counselor have helped individuals give up and quit tobacco use. These people have also said their life satisfaction has also increased. [17] Also, Bahrain wants to be a safe country to live in and safe for tourists. It is actually illegal to smoke while driving, regardless if a child is present or not, preventing distracted driving. [18] Bahrain enforced strict smoking laws nearly 10 years ago in hopes to shape the health of its people and to protect the bystanders and children who just happen to be around the smoking individual.

See also

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Cigarette</span> Small roll of tobacco made to be smoked

A cigarette is a narrow cylinder containing a combustible material, typically tobacco, that is rolled into thin paper for smoking. The cigarette is ignited at one end, causing it to smolder; the resulting smoke is orally inhaled via the opposite end. Cigarette smoking is the most common method of tobacco consumption. The term cigarette, as commonly used, refers to a tobacco cigarette, but the word is sometimes used to refer to other substances, such as a cannabis cigarette or a herbal cigarette. A cigarette is distinguished from a cigar by its usually smaller size, use of processed leaf, different smoking method, and paper wrapping, which is typically white.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Hookah</span> Type of water pipe

A hookah, shisha, or waterpipe is a single- or multi-stemmed instrument for heating or vaporizing and then smoking either tobacco, flavored tobacco, or sometimes cannabis, hashish and opium. The smoke is passed through a water basin—often glass-based—before inhalation.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Health effects of tobacco</span> Circumstances, mechanisms, and factors of tobacco consumption on human health

Tobacco products, especially when smoked or used orally, have serious negative effects on human health. Smoking and smokeless tobacco use is the single greatest cause of preventable death globally. As many as half of people who smoke tobacco or use it orally die from complications related to such use. It has been estimated that each year, in total about 6 million people die from tobacco-related causes, with 600,000 of these occurring in non-smokers due to secondhand smoke. It is further estimated to have caused 100 million deaths in the 20th century.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Prevalence of tobacco use</span> Percentage of population smoking tobacco

Prevalence of tobacco use is reported by the World Health Organization (WHO), which focuses on cigarette smoking due to reported data limitations. Smoking has therefore been studied more extensively than any other form of consumption.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Hookah lounge</span> Establishment where patrons share hookah/shisha

A hookah lounge is an establishment where patrons share shisha from a communal hookah or from one placed at each table or a bar.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Health in Israel</span>

Health in Israel is generally considered good.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Muʽassel</span> Syrupy tobacco mixture used in hookahs

Muʽassel, or maassel, is a syrupy tobacco mix containing molasses, vegetable glycerol and various flavourings which is smoked in a hookah, a type of waterpipe. It is also known as "shisha".

Health in Egypt refers to the overall health of the population of Egypt.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Tobacco control</span> Field of health science

Tobacco control is a field of international public health science, policy and practice dedicated to addressing tobacco use and thereby reducing the morbidity and mortality it causes. Since most cigarettes and cigars and hookahs contain/use tobacco, tobacco control also concerns these. E-cigarettes do not contain tobacco itself, but (often) do contain nicotine. Tobacco control is a priority area for the World Health Organization (WHO), through the Framework Convention on Tobacco Control. References to a tobacco control movement may have either positive or negative connotations, depending upon the commentator.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Tobacco in the United States</span>

Tobacco has a long cultural, economic, and social impact on the United States. Tobacco cultivation in Jamestown, Virginia, in 1610 led to the expansion of British colonialism in the Southern United States. As the demand for Tobacco grew in Europe, further colonization in British America and Tobacco production saw a parallel increase. Tobacco use became normalized in American society and was heavily consumed before and after American independence.

About a quarter of adults in Turkey smoke. Smoking in Turkey is banned in government offices, workplaces, bars, restaurants, cafés, shopping malls, schools, hospitals, and all forms of public transport, including trains, taxis and ferries. Turkey's smoking ban includes provisions for violators, where anyone caught smoking in a designated smoke-free area faces a fine of 188 Turkish lira (~€9.29/$9.90/£8.22) and bar owners who fail to enforce the ban could be fined from 560 liras for a first offence up to 5,600 liras. The laws are enforced by the Ministry of Agriculture and Forestry of Turkey.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Smoking in Syria</span>

Smoking in Syria is steadily increasing in popularity amongst the Syrian population, mainly in the forms of cigarettes or narghiles. In Syria, the General Organization of Tobacco manages the growth and exportation of tobacco products. Syrians collectively spend about $600 million per year on tobacco consumption. As of 2010, 20% of women and 60% of men smoke and 98% of the overall population is affected by passive smoking. Narghiles and cigarettes are the two main forms of tobacco consumption. Despite the assumption that smoking, specifically the narghile, is embedded in Syrian culture, this phenomenon has only recently become widespread. Health officials are currently working on smoking cessation programs and policies, to remove this idea that smoking in Syria is an essential part of the culture, to educate regarding health effects, and to prevent citizens from smoking in public places.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Smoking in Egypt</span>

The use of tobacco products in Egypt is widespread. It is estimated that approximately twenty percent of the population uses tobacco products daily. Cigarettes are the most common form of tobacco consumption in Egypt, with an estimated twenty billion cigarettes smoked annually in the country. After cigarettes, shisha water-pipes are the most common form of tobacco consumption.

Smoking in South Korea has decreased overall for both men and women in the past decades. However, a high prevalence of tobacco use is still observed, especially with the rise of novel tobacco products such as e-cigarettes and heat-not-burn tobacco products. There are socioeconomic inequalities in smoking prevalence according to gender, income, education, and occupational class. Advocates call for measures to reduce the smoking rates and address smoking inequalities using a combination of monitoring and tobacco control policies. These measures include significant price hikes, mandatory warning photos on cigarette packs, advertising bans, financial incentives, medical help for quitting, and complete smoking bans in public places.

Tobacco smoking in Pakistan is legal, but under certain circumstances is banned. If calculated on per day basis, 177 million cigarettes per day were consumed in FY-14. According to the Pakistan Demographic Health Survey, 46 per cent men and 5.7 per cent women smoke tobacco. The habit is mostly found in the youth of Pakistan and in farmers, and is thought to be responsible for various health problems and deaths in the country. Pakistan has the highest consumption of tobacco in South Asia.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Smoking in India</span>

Smoking in India is one of the oldest industries and provides employment to more than five million people directly and indirectly. India is the second-largest producer of tobacco in the world. Smoking has been known since at least 2000 BC when cannabis was smoked and is first mentioned in the Atharvaveda. Fumigation (dhupa) and fire offerings (homa) are prescribed in the Ayurveda for medical purposes and have been practiced for at least 3,000 years while smoking, dhumrapana has been practiced for at least 2,000 years. Tobacco was introduced to India in the 17th century. It later merged with existing practices of smoking.

Montenegro is a country with an area of 13,812 square kilometres and a population of 620,029, according to the 2011 census. The country is bordered by Croatia, the Adriatic Sea, Bosnia, Herzegovina, Serbia, Kosovo and Albania. The most common health issues faced are non-communicable diseases accounting for 95% of all deaths. This is followed by 4% of mortality due to injury, and 1% due to communicable, maternal, perinatal and nutritional conditions. Other health areas of interest are alcohol consumption, which is the most prevalent disease of addiction within Montenegro and smoking. Montenegro has one of the highest tobacco usage rates across Europe. Life expectancy for men is 74 years, and life expectancy for women is 79.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Tobacco policy in Armenia</span>

Tobacco policy in Armenia is the attempt by the Armenian authorities to regulate smoking in Armenia. Tobacco laws and regulations are controlled by the Ministry of Health of Armenia. Armenian men tend to be the most common tobacco users, as 42.5% of men over the age of 15 smoke.

Smoking in Latvia is common, with a rate higher than the OECD average, and Latvian men are among the heaviest smokers in the European Union. One in four Latvians smoke, as compared to one in five in the rest of the European Union. While the overall smoking rate in Latvia has decreased in recent years, it is considered a significant factor in the country's significant health challenges, particularly with regard to preventable diseases such as heart disease, diabetes, and cancer.

Smoking in Australia is restricted in enclosed public places, workplaces, in areas of public transport and near underage events, except new laws in New South Wales that ban smoking within ten metres of children's play spaces.

References

  1. ↑ "Bahrain". World Health Organization. Retrieved 22 December 2015.
  2. 1 2 3 "Combatting HIV/AIDS and other diseases in Bahrain" (PDF). United Nations Development Program. Archived from the original (PDF) on January 17, 2013. Retrieved 26 June 2012.
  3. ↑ "Immunization Profile – Bahrain". World Health Organization. Archived from the original on May 23, 2011. Retrieved 26 June 2012.
  4. ↑ "Country Profile- Bahrain" (PDF). WHO. Retrieved 26 June 2012.
  5. ↑ "Noncommunicable diseases in Bahrain" (PDF). World Health Organization. Retrieved 26 June 2012.
  6. ↑ "Features of sickle-cell disease in Bahrain". Gulf Genetic Centre. Archived from the original on 13 September 2012. Retrieved 26 June 2012.
  7. ↑ "Bahrain: Nutrition Country Profiles".
  8. ↑ "Diabetes in Bahrain". TimeOut Bahrain. Retrieved 26 June 2012.
  9. ↑ Musaiger, Abdulrahman O.; Al‐Jedah, Jassim H.; D'Souza, Reshma (24 July 2007). "Nutrient composition of foods provided by school canteens in Bahrain". Nutrition & Food Science. 37 (4): 246–253. doi:10.1108/00346650710774613.
  10. ↑ "Smoking ban in Bahrain | Time Out Bahrain". Time Out Bahrain. 2009-04-28. Retrieved 2024-03-13.
  11. 1 2 3 4 5 6 Bahrain – Law No. 8. PDF. 2009. https://www.tobaccocontrollaws.org/files/live/Bahrain/Bahrain%20-%20Law%20No.%208.pdf
  12. ↑ Borgan, Saif M; Jassim, Ghufran; Marhoon, Zaid A; Almuqamam, Mohamed A; Ebrahim, Mohamed A; Soliman, Peter A (December 2014). "Prevalence of tobacco smoking among health-care physicians in Bahrain". BMC Public Health. 14 (1): 931. doi: 10.1186/1471-2458-14-931 . PMC   4165905 . PMID   25200373.
  13. ↑ Bahrain: Smoking in public. (2016). Retrieved from https://www.tripadvisor.com/Travel-g293996-c67179/Bahrain:Smoking.In.Public.html
  14. 1 2 Hamadeh, Randah R.; Ahmed, Jamil; Al Kawari, Maha; Bucheeri, Sharifa (December 2018). "Smoking behavior of males attending the quit tobacco clinics in Bahrain and their knowledge on tobacco smoking health hazards". BMC Public Health. 18 (1): 199. doi: 10.1186/s12889-018-5104-7 . PMC   5789601 . PMID   29378543.
  15. ↑ Bahrain issues strict anti-smoking laws. Retrieved from http://www.mybahrain.net/viewtravelnews.asp?ID=509
  16. ↑ Žaloudíková, Iva; Hrubá, Drahoslava; Samara, Ibrahim (1 March 2012). "Parental Education and Family Status - Association with Children's Cigarette Smoking". Central European Journal of Public Health. 20 (1): 38–44. doi: 10.21101/cejph.a3652 . PMID   22571015. ProQuest   1011325898.
  17. ↑ Hamadeh, Randah Ribhi; Ahmed, Jamil; Al-Kawari, Maha; Bucheeri, Sharifa (December 2017). "Quit tobacco clinics in Bahrain: smoking cessation rates and patient satisfaction". Tobacco Induced Diseases. 15 (1): 7. doi: 10.1186/s12971-017-0115-1 . PMC   5251216 . PMID   28127273.
  18. ↑ Guide to Driving in Bahrain: Rules, Laws and Regulations. (n.d.). Retrieved from https://www.autoshippers.co.uk/blog/driving-in-bahrain.htm.
This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.