DOHA: Professionals in the Middle East and North Africa (Mena) region, including Qatar, eat more fruits and vegetables than fast food and majority of them claim that they are non-smokers, reveals a regional survey conducted by leading career website bayt.com.
When asked about the overall healthiness of their diet, six out of 10 respondents agree that their diet is healthy, with 17.5 percent claiming it is ‘very healthy’ and 43.1 percent, ‘somewhat healthy’. Conversely, 26.8 percent of respondents believe their diet is ‘not too healthy’, shows the latest ‘Health and Lifestyle in the Middle East and North Africa’ poll.
The study also revealed that 96 percent of the respondents believe it is the employer’s responsibility to support and promote employees’ health and wellness. Subsequently, 87.1 percent of respondents claimed they will more likely exercise if their company offers a gym subscription. Only 2.3 percent of respondents claimed otherwise
Asked about diet, 42 percent of respondents said they eat vegetables and fruits on a daily basis, 23.1 percen said they eat them ‘several times a week’, and 11.5 percen said they eat them ‘less often’.
Among the professionals who agree to eating fast food, 16.7 percen eat out ‘every day’, 14.1 percent ‘several times a week’ and 23.8 percen ‘a few times a month’.
The biggest challenge that professionals face when making healthy lifestyle choices is their busy schedule (30 percen). Other reasons cited include lack of management (15.8 percent), lack of motivation (15.3 percent) and lack of exercise facilities in or near their workplace (10.6 percent).
Asked about smoking, the majority of respondents (73.2%) said they were non-smokers. Among the 26.8 percent of the respondents who smoke, 16.9 percent smoke less at work.
Over half (53.5 percent) of the respondents believe that their work schedule allows for adequate sleep, while 31.2 percent disagree. In reality, 30.1 percent of respondents get seven to eight hours of sleep on an average workday, followed by six to seven hours (29.7 percent) and less than 6 hours (26.9 percent). 10.2 percent of them said they get more than eight hours of sleep a day.
The majority of Mena professionals take time to exercise throughout the week, with 29.1 percent of them engaging in more than 30 minutes of exercise three or four times a week. 18.5 percent of respondents said they exercise once or twice in a week.
Only 3 in 10 respondents (30.2 percent) said that their companies provide fitness facilities or benefits to encourage a healthy lifestyle, while 60 percent claimed the opposite. One out of every 10 respondents said they were not sure about the health benefits offered at their company.
Data for the poll was collected online from December 18 last year and January 12 this year. Results are based on a sample of 8,205 respondents. Professionals from Qatar, the UAE, Bahrain, Algeria, Egypt, Iraq, Jordan, Kuwait, Lebanon, Morocco, Oman, Tunisia, Qatar and Saudi Arabia took part in the survey.The Peninsula
DOHA: Professionals in the Middle East and North Africa (Mena) region, including Qatar, eat more fruits and vegetables than fast food and majority of them claim that they are non-smokers, reveals a regional survey conducted by leading career website bayt.com.
When asked about the overall healthiness of their diet, six out of 10 respondents agree that their diet is healthy, with 17.5 percent claiming it is ‘very healthy’ and 43.1 percent, ‘somewhat healthy’. Conversely, 26.8 percent of respondents believe their diet is ‘not too healthy’, shows the latest ‘Health and Lifestyle in the Middle East and North Africa’ poll.
The study also revealed that 96 percent of the respondents believe it is the employer’s responsibility to support and promote employees’ health and wellness. Subsequently, 87.1 percent of respondents claimed they will more likely exercise if their company offers a gym subscription. Only 2.3 percent of respondents claimed otherwise
Asked about diet, 42 percent of respondents said they eat vegetables and fruits on a daily basis, 23.1 percen said they eat them ‘several times a week’, and 11.5 percen said they eat them ‘less often’.
Among the professionals who agree to eating fast food, 16.7 percen eat out ‘every day’, 14.1 percent ‘several times a week’ and 23.8 percen ‘a few times a month’.
The biggest challenge that professionals face when making healthy lifestyle choices is their busy schedule (30 percen). Other reasons cited include lack of management (15.8 percent), lack of motivation (15.3 percent) and lack of exercise facilities in or near their workplace (10.6 percent).
Asked about smoking, the majority of respondents (73.2%) said they were non-smokers. Among the 26.8 percent of the respondents who smoke, 16.9 percent smoke less at work.
Over half (53.5 percent) of the respondents believe that their work schedule allows for adequate sleep, while 31.2 percent disagree. In reality, 30.1 percent of respondents get seven to eight hours of sleep on an average workday, followed by six to seven hours (29.7 percent) and less than 6 hours (26.9 percent). 10.2 percent of them said they get more than eight hours of sleep a day.
The majority of Mena professionals take time to exercise throughout the week, with 29.1 percent of them engaging in more than 30 minutes of exercise three or four times a week. 18.5 percent of respondents said they exercise once or twice in a week.
Only 3 in 10 respondents (30.2 percent) said that their companies provide fitness facilities or benefits to encourage a healthy lifestyle, while 60 percent claimed the opposite. One out of every 10 respondents said they were not sure about the health benefits offered at their company.
Data for the poll was collected online from December 18 last year and January 12 this year. Results are based on a sample of 8,205 respondents. Professionals from Qatar, the UAE, Bahrain, Algeria, Egypt, Iraq, Jordan, Kuwait, Lebanon, Morocco, Oman, Tunisia, Qatar and Saudi Arabia took part in the survey.The Peninsula
