Health Minister Ibrahim Al-Badour has released results from the Global School-based Health Survey in Jordan, covering students aged 13 to 17, which found that 32.9 percent are overweight or obese — 20.8 percent overweight and 12.1 percent obese.
اضافة اعلان
The survey also found that only 12 percent of students in that age group engage in more than 60 minutes of physical activity each day during the week, while 31.5 percent do not attend physical education classes at school.
The overweight rate among students in public schools stood at 30.3 percent, compared with 42.5 percent in private schools.
The study was carried out by the Ministry of Health and the Ministry of Education and Human Resources Development, with support from the World Health Organization.
Al-Badour said the findings prompted the ministry to take a series of measures in coordination with the relevant authorities, aimed at improving the health and nutritional environment in schools, promoting physical activity, and reducing risk factors linked to overweight, obesity, and physical inactivity.
The Ministry of Health sent a letter to the Ministry of Education and Human Resources Development setting out health requirements for school canteens and listing foods and drinks that are permitted or prohibited from sale to students.
Among the items banned from school canteens are flavored chips containing artificial additives, soft drinks of all kinds, energy drinks, and manually prepared beverages or juices containing colorings.
A further letter was sent to the Ministry of Education and Human Resources Development and the General Food and Drug Administration, calling for the activation of sub-technical committees responsible for monitoring school canteens. Those committees include representatives from all three bodies and conduct periodic field visits to canteens in public and private schools across each governorate to verify compliance with health requirements and approved food and beverage menus.
The Ministry of Health also wrote to the Ministry of Education and Human Resources Development requesting that physical activity be embedded as an essential part of the school day, in response to the survey's findings on declining activity levels and as part of broader efforts to prevent non-communicable diseases.
Specific requests included consistent delivery of physical education classes at all educational levels — without substituting them for other lessons — activating morning assemblies and break periods with light movement exercises and interactive activities, and expanding participation in school sports events to all students without exception.
The ministry said it would also work to raise student awareness of the health benefits of physical activity and to instill healthy behaviors through all available means, with a view to preventing overweight and obesity over the long term.
This article was originally written in Arabic for Al Ghad. It was translated into English with AI assistance and edited by Jordan News.
