Hypertension and Diabetes

In the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, there is a wide prevalence of a red meat and carbohydrate-intensive diet among Saudis. As diet high in fats and sugars has been shown to be linked to hypercholesterolemia (Torpy, Burke & Glass, 2009; Hruby & Hu, 2015) and the increase in triglycerides in the blood (leading to arteriosclerosis and hypertension in adults aged 30-40 years old), this study aims to investigate the relationship between hypertension and type 2 diabetes in Saudi Arabia.

In Saudi Arabia obesity is an emerging problem and hypertension is on the increase (Al Othaimeen, Al Nozha & Osman, 2007; Al-Nozha, Abdullah, Arafah et al., 2007). Investigating the dietary habits of Saudis and the onset of hypertension and diabetes type 2 among adults aged 25-40 will be helpful in establishing a preventive medicine approach that can be implemented by health care practitioners in the KSA to help reduce the spread of these diseases through proper dietary controls and healthy interventions.

This study would obtain data from primary care facilities within Saudi Arabia related to patients presenting with hypertension and type 2 diabetes; variables to be identified would be the age of the patient, gender, region of origin, and daily dietary activities. The independent variable for this study would be the patients’ diet and the dependent variables would be the related negative health issues—i.e., hypertension and type 2 diabetes.

Statistical analysis would be conducted using chi-square tests to determine if there is a significant relationship between altering the diet of Saudis by reducing the amount of red meats and carbohydrates in the diet and the reduction of hypertension and type 2 diabetes in the patients between the ages of 25 and 40. References Al Othaimeen, A. I., Al Nozha, M., & Osman, A. K. (2007).