The Kingdom of Jordan’s 2023- 2030 National Nutrition Strategy indicates a high level of diet-related non-communicable diseases (NCDs), in addition to an increased prevalence of overweight and obesity across all age groups in the country.
Findings suggest the country’s nutrition transition towards a diet higher in energy dense, highly-processed foods and beverages, and lower in fruits, vegetables and whole grains, coupled with a more sedentary lifestyle, lies behind the increases.
There are variations within the population with rates among children reported to be higher within some regions, while in Syrian refugee camps, 22.2 per cent of school-aged children were affected by obesity or overweight. This is around twice the average of other children.
Advocacy Action: Does your country have a national nutrition strategy? Does your government collect demographic information on changes to diet and numbers of NCD’s? Can you advocate for better information, education, understanding of the link between nutrition and diseases?