University of Technology and Sciences

(Higher College of Technology)

English Language Center

Project and Presentations Course

Childhood Obesity in
Oman
Teacher’s Name: Ms. Debbie Fisher
Student’s Name: Ahmed Anwar
Group No: 9
Submission Date: 13/6/2021
 Table of Contents

Contents Page
Numbers
Introduction 1
Methods (Procedure) 2
Findings 3-7
Conclusion 9
References 10
Appendix A: Blank copy of online survey 11
Appendix B: project activity 12-13
Appendix C: copy of email 14
Appendix D: action plan 15
 English Language Center
Student Declaration Form
(Semester………………. Year………………)

To,

The Head of Section, Curriculum and Teaching Methods

I, (Student's Name: Ahmed Anwar

(Student's ID): ………………… student of Level 4, in Group No 9 of the English Language Center,
Higher college of Technology, hereby declare that my Project Report on (Title of the Project) “Childhood
Obesity in Oman” as a requirement for the course “Project & Presentation”, is the result of my own original
work, except for source materials explicitly acknowledged by proper citations.
I also understand that plagiarism is an offense that can lead to disciplinary action depending on the
seriousness of the case.
Student Signature:
Name: Ahmed Anwar
Date:
 Introduction:

Children's nutrition and physical activity behaviors are detrimental to health. Healthy nutrition
and physical activity behaviors help maintain a balance between energy intake and energy
expenditure and, consequently, healthy body functioning. Individuals take in energy in the form
of carbohydrates, proteins, and fats and expend energy in the means of basal metabolic rate
(BMR), physical activity, and metabolic response to food. (Family Influence on Children’s
Nutrition and Physical Activity Patterns in Oman, 2021)

Childhood obesity is a global public health concern. The worldwide prevalence of childhood
obesity doubled from 1980–2013.1 In Oman from 2012–2018, the rate of overweight and obesity
increased from 3.5% to 4.2% among children in the first grade (i.e. 6–7 years), from 12.8% to
15% among children in the seventh grade (i.e. 12–13 years) and from 12.5% to 16.7% among
children in the tenth grade (i.e. 15–16 years).2,3 In 2016, 32.3% of Omani children aged 5–19
years old were overweight. Childhood obesity increases children’s risk of developing
prediabetes, type two diabetes and cardiovascular disease later in life.5 Children with obesity are
also vulnerable to peer neglect and rejection, attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder, anxiety and
depression. Obesity is a complex health problem; it has genetic attributes that are influenced by
environmental factors. These environmental factors contributing to obesity are partly explained
by the imbalance between energy intake and energy expenditure. When there is high energy
intake and low energy expenditure, the resultant extra energy is stored in the body as adipose
tissue. (NCBI - WWW Error Blocked Diagnostic, n.d.)Only three studies have examined the
extent of obesity in children in Oman. A 2004 local study of 550 students noted the higher rates
of overweight/obesity in older children; rates were highest among 15–16 years olds (boys:
24.8%, girls: 19.3 %.) (n.d)

The goal of the project is to motivate parents to focus on the problem of overweight in their
children.
 Methods:

The participants(s) in the research are 15 students from the University of Technology and
Applied Sciences in Muscat. University students participate in the survey. This category has
been selected for ease of access. Information for this report was collected from various sources:
library, online research, and questionnaire.

The online search was successful and there are a lot of web pages. This is an electronic audit.
The information provided was collected. As for the survey, a questionnaire was prepared and
distributed to the respondents. The questionnaire consisted of 10 questions based on the research
topic. The questionnaire contained four yes/no questions, four choice questions and an open-
ended question.

Respondents were asked to fill out the questionnaire during their spare time. There were no
problems with survey items, as respondents understood the questions. Then, the survey results
were written down, put into a table, and converted into percentages. Then the data was analyzed
and represented in the form of bar graphs and pie charts. Finally, I wrote the conclusion,
recommendations and references and presented the report to the teacher.
 FINDINGS
Part1: Yes/No Questions

1. Do you know any obese children in Oman?

  Yes  No 

Percentage of Respondents  67%                                 33% 

 
67% of the respondents said that they know obese children in Oman. However, a significant
minority of respondents (33%) said that they don’t know any obese children in Oman (see Figure
1). 
 
 

Figure 1. This figure shows the respondents of people if they know any obese children in Oman
or not.
2. Does childhood obesity have a negative impact on the child?
Table 2 

  Yes  No  

Percentage of Respondents  89%  11% 

Most respondents (89%) believed that it can be good for them, while a few respondents (11%)
thought that cannot be good for them (see Figure 2). 

 
   Figure 2. This figure illustrates the respondents of people about childhood obesity if it has a
negative impact on the child or not.
_____________________________________.  
 Multiple-Choice Questions 
3. What kind of food causes children to become obese? 
Table 3 
    Percentage of Respondents 

  A. fast food 22% 

  B. food with a lot of protein  44% 

  C. food with full fat  33% 
 
A significant minority of respondents (44%) said that food with a lot of protein, while 33% of
them stated that food with full fat. However, a few respondents (22%) believed that fast food bad
for children. (See Figure 3).

Figure 3. Kind of food causes children to become obese

4. How often do children in Oman eat fast food?? 
Table 4 
    Percentage of Respondents 
A.  daily ________  __33% 
B.  weekly   56% 
C. monthl __________  __11% 
y
 
Few respondents about (11%) said that they do it monthly, while more than half of the
respondents (56%) said that they feel weekly. Only 44% of these participants felt that they do it
daily.

     Figure 4 : often do children in Oman eat fast food

 Open-Ended Questions

5. Do you think families have rules for their children to stop eating unhealthy food?
Most responses said No, they might be the reason why their children obese, they don’t care.
 
6. How can we stop childhood obesity in Oman?  
Most responses said giving them exercise to do, don’t let fast food sell in restaurant for
children, Do some more exercise and eating healthy food.
 
 
 Conclusion:

Based on the results, the problem of childhood obesity is a huge problem and has many negatives
and must be resolved before it gets worse. The results of the exploration show that many males
and females believe that there are many obese children in Oman. Many said that childhood
obesity negatively affects the child. Many said that food containing large amounts of protein is
the reason behind children's obesity. Both agree that children eat fast food weekly. The most
common issues we had were finding students to complete a survey, as well as difficulty finding
information from different websites.

Recommendations:

1- Families should convince children to stop eating unhealthy food.

2- Children should start doing exercise to reduce their weight.

3- Families should take care about their children and stop them from being obese.

4- Parents should motivate children to go on a diet and do exercise to be healthy and to have
a good body.
 References:

E. (n.d.). World Health Organization - Eastern Mediterranean Region. Emro. Retrieved June 13,

2021, from http://www.emro.who.int/emhj-volume-25-2019/volume-25-issue-11/rapid-

assessment-of-marketing-of-unhealthy-foods-to-children-in-mass-media-schools-and-

retail-stores-in-oman.html

Family Influence on Children’s Nutrition and Physical Activity Patterns in Oman. (2021,

January 1). ScienceDirect.

https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0882596320305480?dgcid=rss_sd_all

NCBI - WWW Error Blocked Diagnostic. (n.d.). Ncbi. Retrieved June 13, 2021, from

https://misuse.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/error/abuse.shtml
Action Plan:

Tasks: What needs to be done?

Planned Date of
Tasks: What needs to be done? date of completion
completion
1. Read and understand the activity in class Week 1  
Weeks 1 &
2. Discuss the research topic with the teacher and then as a group
2
3. Research different materials on the topic Week 5  
4. Take notes and write summaries Week 5  
Decide on the most appropriate research tool to be used. Week 2  
5.
Discuss and finalize questions for the online survey
Week 3  
6.
Design an online survey. Then have it checked by the teacher
Make changes and finalize the survey. Week 4  
7. Distribute the online survey to 15 respondents – use email, and
collect the data
Week 5 or  
8. Complete the introduction (3 paragraphs)
before
Extract charts to present the main points from the findings using MS Week 5  
9.
Excel. Analyze the data
10. Discuss findings and summarize the main points. Type the findings Week 5  
11 Write the conclusion, recommendations, methods, and references Week 6  
Week 7 or  
12. Design the cover and the contents page
before
13. Edit and complete the report Week 7  
14. Submit the first draft to the teacher Week 7  
15. Submit the final report Week 7  
16. Prepare and practice a presentation with visual aids Week 8  
17. Give the presentation Week 9  

Student name: Ahmed Anwar Group: 9

Project title: Childhood Obesity in Oman

Team members:
Approved by: Date:
Q No. Yes/No Questions
Yes % No %
1 9 100% 0 0%
Does childhood obesity have a
negative impact on the child?

2 Do you think there is a childhood obesity 11 86.6% 4 11%

problem in Oman?
3 Do you know any obese children in Oman? 6 67% 3 33%

4 Do you think childhood obesity is 8 89% 1 11%

increasing in Oman?
Multiple-Choice Questions
A % B % C %
5 What kind of food causes children to 2 22% 4 44% 3 33%
become obese?
6 What is the best way to stop becoming 6 75% 2 25% 0 60%
obese?
7 How did most of children in Oman become 7 22% 2 0
obese?
8 How often do children in Oman eat fast 4 33% 5 56% 0 11%
food?
Open-Ended Questions
9 Do you think families have rules for their Most responses said
children to stop eating unhealthy food? No, they might be the
reason why their
children obese, they
don’t care.
10 How can we stop childhood obesity in Most responses said
Oman? giving them exercise to
do, don’t let fast food
sell in restaurant for
children.
Appendix A: Blank copy of online survey

1.Does childhood obesity have a negative impact on the child?

yes
no

2.Do you think there is a childhood obesity problem in Oman?

yes
no

3.Do you know any obese children in Oman?

yes
no

4.Do you think childhood obesity is increasing in Oman?

Yes
No

5.What kind of food causes children to become obese?

fast food 
food with a lot of Protein
food with full fat

6.what is the best way to stop becoming obese?

exercise 
 healthy food
fast food

7.how did most of the children in Oman become obese?

eating a lot of fast food
sitting at home for a long time
doing exercise

8.How often do children in Oman eat fast food?

daily  
weekly  
monthly

15
9.do you think families have rules for their children to stop eating
unhealthy food? Explain?

10.How can we stop childhood obesity in Oman?

Appendix B: project activity

Childhood Obesity

Activity Description

Much of the research into childhood obesity suggests that it is becoming a

growing concern in developed nations. According to research, the sudden
increase in childhood obesity is mostly attributed to technological advances
that have caused a majority of today’s population to become more sedentary.
Children in the twenty-first century are spending more time playing video
games, surfing the Internet and watching television than in the past. Also
research shows that people today are eating more fast foods, and they are not
getting enough nutritious foods in their daily diet. Despite these research
findings childhood obesity is still on the rise.

Research Questions/Topics

Research and investigate the following:

1. Is childhood obesity a problem in Oman?

2. The effect of childhood obesity on the quality of life for that child

3. Different eating patterns of families today as opposed to those in the past

4. Current exercise patterns as opposed to those in the past

5. Causes of increase in childhood obesity

Objectives

· To practice group work and public speaking skills

· To develop research skills using electronic and other sources

· To carry out a survey designed to get people’s opinions on the topic

· To present a report with recommendations on how to help reduce the

percentage of young population who are obese

16
· To be able to use a suitable software to produce the final report

· To give a clear and relevant presentation using appropriate visual aids

Tasks

To complete the activity, students should do the following:

1. Read and understand the activity.

2. Discuss the activity with the teacher.

3. Do extensive reading on the topic using various sources of information.

4. Take notes and write summaries.

5. Prepare and follow a clear action plan.

6. Discuss the activity as a group and decide on the most appropriate

research tools to be used (questionnaire / interviews).

7. Prepare a questionnaire / interview questions as a group and ask 30

respondents to complete the questionnaire/ online survey.

8. Collect, analyze and collate questionnaire results as a group

9. Discuss findings as a group and, as individuals, summarize the main

points.

10. Illustrate findings as individuals in the form of charts/graphs (MS

Forms).

11. Produce a proper reference page.

12. Write an individual report based on these findings and include

recommendations.

13. Prepare and give a clear individual presentation using appropriate visual
aids.

17
Appendix C: Copy of email

18
Appendix D: Action Plan:

Planned Date of
Tasks: What needs to be done? date of completion
completion
1. Read and understand the activity in class Week 1  
Weeks 1 &
2. Discuss the research topic with the teacher and then as a group
2
3. Research different materials on the topic Week 5  
4. Take notes and write summaries Week 5  
Decide on the most appropriate research tool to be used. Week 2  
5.
Discuss and finalize questions for the online survey
Week 3  
6.
Design an online survey. Then have it checked by the teacher
Make changes and finalize the survey. Week 4  
7. Distribute the online survey to 15 respondents – use email, and
collect the data
Week 5 or  
8. Complete the introduction (3 paragraphs)
before
Extract charts to present the main points from the findings using MS Week 5  
9.
Excel. Analyze the data
10. Discuss findings and summarize the main points. Type the findings Week 5  
11 Write the conclusion, recommendations, methods, and references Week 6  
Week 7 or  
12. Design the cover and the contents page
before
13. Edit and complete the report Week 7  
14. Submit the first draft to the teacher Week 7  
15. Submit the final report Week 7  
16. Prepare and practice a presentation with visual aids Week 8  
17. Give the presentation Week 9  

Student name: Ahmed Anwar

Group: 9

Project title: childhood obesity in Oman Team

members: 5

Date: 13/6/2021

19