AMMAN — A recent global school-based student health survey in Jordan revealed that 32.9 per cent of students aged 13 to 17 suffer from overweight or obesity, Minister of Health Ibrahim Badoor said.

 

The survey showed that the overweight rate reached 20.8 per cent, while obesity stood at 12.1 per cent within this age group, according to findings prepared by the Ministry of Health and the Ministry of Education and Human Resources Development, with support from the World Health Organisation, the Jordan News Agency, Petra, reported.

 

The data indicated that only 12 per cent of students engage in physical activity for more than 60 minutes daily during the week, while 31.5 per cent do not participate in school physical education classes.

 

Overweight rates reached 30.3 per cent among students in public schools, compared with 42.5 per cent in private schools.

 

Badoor said that these health indicators prompted the Ministry of Health to implement a series of measures in coordination with relevant authorities to improve the school nutritional environment and promote physical activity.

 

The ministry dispatched an official letter to the Ministry of Education outlining health requirements for school canteens and detailing lists of permitted and prohibited food and beverage items.

 

Prohibited items include chips containing flavourings, carbonated drinks, energy drinks, and manually prepared juices containing artificial dyes.

 

In a separate letter to the Ministry of Education and the Jordan Food and Drug Administration, the Ministry of Health stressed the need to activate technical subcommittees supervising school canteens across all governorates.

 

The Ministry of Health requested the Ministry of Education to enforce physical education classes across all grades without replacing them with other subjects.

 

The request also called for introducing light exercise into morning assemblies and recess periods to foster long-term healthy behaviours among students.