Introduction
Numerous cultural barriers impede effective management of obesity among Saudi Women. The barriers that affect weight loss among women make them prone to severe diseases such as type 2 diabetes, cancer, heart disease among others. According to Ogden (2011), the major cultural factors that influence the management of weight or obesity among women include attitude and behavior, type of food intake, energy output, eating patterns, type of food, activity preferences, and style of food preparations. Due to this, there is a great need for a critical understanding of the cultural barriers that affect weight management in the nation and the effective development of reliable solutions to contain the situation.
Situating Self
Notably, it is highly imperative to recognize and understand the responsibility of being the primary tool for the study as the researcher. A study such as this that studies human subjects on the barriers affecting overweight management requires selflessness and dedication (Ogden, 2011). It requires the presentation of incredible facts on human subjects purposely to attain the qualitative nature of the research adopted. In consideration of my role in the study, my main duty is to perform extensive research and present facts relating to the key cultural barriers that hinder the effective management of overweight among women in Saudi Arabia.
I have interacted extensively with Saudi Women especially those suffering from obesity during my stint as a nutrition clinician who deals with patients on the weight loss program. The experience has enabled me to learn and experience diverse dynamics that complicate the process of managing overweight in Saudi Arabia. I strongly believe that culture has negatively affected the process of managing obesity among women in the nation (Luthans, Doh &Hodgetts, 2012). The major cultural barriers impeding the management of obesity among the Saudi Women community include inferior eating habits, poor attitude towards food intake, type of food, and activity preferences (Peeke, 2001). The aspects have formed their way of life hence hindering holistic adherence to weight management programs. In particular, the people in the region have a poor attitude towards noble eating habits. They have a culture of eating anytime and any food type without considering the nutritionist’s advice. The culture is attributable to a lack of willingness to observe nutritionist advice among women (Ogden, 2011). Similarly, they fail to follow recommended diet for the obesity people based on ignorance and cultural belief that they must eat certain foods and should not eat some.
Methodological Considerations
The information search about the cultural barriers that affect the effective management of obesity among Saudi women was based on a qualitative approach. The approach enabled the acquisition of quality information with in-depth insights about the cultural barriers to the management of overweight conditions among women (Luppicini, 2010). The use of print materials was used as the prime collection technique. The selection of the secondary sources used was done appropriately based on the researcher’s judgment on their suitability in providing satisfactory information.
Limitations
The major limitations encountered during the study include but are not limited to resource constraints, time management, interpretation challenge, and lack of motivation. There was limited time allocated for the study that nearly compromised the exploration of other sources of information gathering. Lack of motivating incentives such as rewards and access to print materials for quality work also threatened to hinder the success of the study. Inadequate resources that could facilitate purchasing of additional print materials and execution of other activities formed another key limitation encountered. Likewise, the interpretation challenge of the facts presented affected the understanding of certain facts about the cultural barriers.
Ethical Issues
The research was undertaken in consideration of numerous ethical issues that guided my role as the researcher. The first ethical issue adopted is the protection of the privacy of the information obtained by only using it for the intended purpose (Kimmel, 2007). I also ensured as an ethical duty to highlight the established cultural barriers impeding obesity management in Saudi Arabia. The cultural barriers highlighted include poor attitude and social behavior, lack of adherence to the recommended diet, poor eating habits, and consumption of non-nutritional foodstuffs. The other barrier is the inability of most families to refrain from the poor eating schedules or periods that they are used to(Kimmel, 2007). Proper self-monitoring, understanding of the needs of the study, and accurate disclosure of the information obtained forms are additional ethical standards upheld.
References
Kimmel, A. J. (2007). Ethical issues in behavioral research: Basic and applied perspectives. Oxford, UK: Blackwell Pub.
Luthans, F., Doh, J. P., &Hodgetts, R. M. (2012).International management: Culture, strategy, and behavior. New York: McGraw-Hill.
Luppicini, R. (2010). Technoethics and the evolving knowledge society: Ethical issues in technological design, research, development, and innovation. Hershey, PA: Information Science Reference.
Ogden, J. (2011). The Psychology of Eating: From Healthy to Disordered Behavior. Hoboken: Wiley.
Peeke, P. (2001). Fight fat after forty: The revolutionary three-pronged approach that will break your stress-fat cycle and make you healthy, fit, and trim for life. New York: Penguin.