# Health in Kuwait

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thumb|Life expectancy in Kuwait
In [Kuwait](/source/Kuwait), [life expectancy at birth](/source/life_expectancy_at_birth) in 2013 was 78 years for men and 79 years for women.<ref>{{cite web |title=Kuwait |url=https://www.who.int/countries/kwt/en/ |access-date=22 December 2015 |website=World Health Organization}}</ref>

==Infrastructure==
As part of Kuwait Vision 2035, many new hospitals have opened.<ref name="health4" /><ref name="health5" /><ref name=health1>{{cite web|url=https://www.oxfordbusinessgroup.com/analysis/substantial-investment-series-mega-projects-are-set-boost-hospital-capacity|title=Mega-projects boost hospital capacity in Kuwait|work=Oxford Business Group|year=2016|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20161220074237/https://www.oxfordbusinessgroup.com/analysis/substantial-investment-series-mega-projects-are-set-boost-hospital-capacity|archive-date=20 December 2016}}</ref> In the years leading up to the [COVID-19 pandemic](/source/COVID-19_pandemic), Kuwait invested in its health care system at a rate that was proportionally higher than most other [GCC countries](/source/Gulf_Cooperation_Council).<ref name="health3">{{cite web|title=Covid-19 Response Report Kuwait|work=Oxford Business Group|page=6|date=26 March 2021|url=https://oxfordbusinessgroup.com/sites/default/files/blog/specialreports/960401/KISR_CRR_SLIDE.pdf}}</ref> As a result, the public hospital sector significantly increased its capacity.<ref name="health1" /><ref name="health4">{{cite web|title=Kuwait 2020 Health Infrastructure Report|date=4 April 2020|url=https://www.kuwaitbuildingshow.com/news6|access-date=26 April 2021|archive-date=2 November 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211102153127/https://www.kuwaitbuildingshow.com/news6|url-status=usurped}}</ref><ref name="health5">{{cite web|title=Healthcare Infrastructure in Kuwait: On Solid Footing|year=2017|url=https://www.arabhealthonline.com/magazine/en/latest-issue/Issue-6/Healthcare-Infrastructure-in-Kuwait-On-Solid-Footing.html}}</ref> Kuwait currently has 20 public hospitals.<ref name="health6">{{cite journal|title=Baseline assessment of patient safety culture in public hospitals in Kuwait.|date=March 2018|page=5|journal=[BMC Health Services Research](/source/BMC_Health_Services_Research)|doi=10.1186/s12913-018-2960-x|issn=1472-6963|volume=18|quote=There are 20 public hospitals in Kuwait, however, we selected 16 hospitals as the remaining facilities had only recently been established and as such did not meet our inclusion criteria as detailed below.|doi-access=free|pmc=5840785 |last1=Ali |first1=Hayfaa |last2=Ibrahem |first2=Samaa Zenhom |last3=Al Mudaf |first3=Buthaina |last4=Al Fadalah |first4=Talal |last5=Jamal |first5=Diana |last6=El-Jardali |first6=Fadi |pmid=29510705 }}</ref><ref name="health5" /> The new Sheikh Jaber Al-Ahmad Hospital is considered the largest hospital in the [Middle East](/source/Middle_East).<ref name=health2>{{cite news|url=http://www.arabianbusiness.com/mideast-s-largest-hospital-open-in-kuwait-by-end-of-2016-651711.html|title=MidEast's largest hospital to open in Kuwait by end of 2016|newspaper=Arabian Business |year=2016|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20161213024255/http://www.arabianbusiness.com/mideast-s-largest-hospital-open-in-kuwait-by-end-of-2016-651711.html|archive-date=13 December 2016}}</ref> Kuwait also has 16 private hospitals.<ref name="health4" />

==Obesity==
thumb|330x330px|Prevalence of obesity in the adult population, top countries (2016), Kuwait has the ninth highest rate in the world.
[Obesity](/source/Obesity) is a growing health concern in [Kuwait](/source/Kuwait). According to ''[Forbes](/source/Forbes)'' magazine, Kuwait ranked 8 on a 2007 list of fattest countries with around 74.2% of Kuwait's total population with an unhealthy weight.<ref>{{cite web |url= https://www.forbes.com/2007/02/07/worlds-fattest-countries-forbeslife-cx_ls_0208worldfat_2.html |archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20071016062334/http://www.forbes.com/2007/02/07/worlds-fattest-countries-forbeslife-cx_ls_0208worldfat_2.html |url-status= dead |archive-date= October 16, 2007 |title= World's Fattest Countries|access-date=2009-02-12 |author= Lauren Streib|date= February 8, 2007|work= Forbes}}</ref> In 2011, the number of [bariatric](/source/bariatric) operations in Kuwait was 5,000.<ref>{{cite news|url=http://news.kuwaittimes.net/2012/11/08/kuwaitis-fight-fat-with-stomach-stapling-kuwait-becomes-one-of-the-worlds-fattest-countries/|title=Kuwaitis fight fat with stomach stapling – Kuwait becomes one of the world's fattest countries|date=8 November 2012|publisher=Kuwait Times|access-date=16 March 2013|archive-url=https://archive.today/20130413194948/http://news.kuwaittimes.net/2012/11/08/kuwaitis-fight-fat-with-stomach-stapling-kuwait-becomes-one-of-the-worlds-fattest-countries/|archive-date=13 April 2013|url-status=dead}}</ref>

From 1980 to 1993, the percentage of individuals age 18–29 that were overweight rose from 30.6% to 54.4% and the percentage of those who were overweight increased from 12.8% to 24.6%.<ref name="A.N. Al-Isa">{{cite book|last=Al-Isa|first=A.N.|title=Obesity among Kuwaiti University Students: An Explorative Study|year=1999|pages=223}}</ref> In 2000, it was determined that amongst children age 10–14, 30% of boys and 31.8% of girls were overweight.<ref>{{cite web|website=IASO|title=Global Childhood Overweight|url=http://www.iaso.org/policy/.../global-trends-childhood-overweight|date=2010|access-date=2015-12-22|archive-url=https://archive.today/20120801175656/http://www.iaso.org/policy/.../global-trends-childhood-overweight|archive-date=2012-08-01|url-status=dead}}</ref>

According to the Dasman Center for Research and Treatment of Diabetes, 15% of the adult population has diabetes, with 50% of adults over 45 living with the disease. 22 of every 100 children have developed diabetes as a result of an unhealthy weight.<ref name="Velina Nacheva">{{cite book|last=Nacheva|first=Velina|title=Dasman Center Raises Nutrition Awareness|year=2009}}</ref>

Advertisements for unhealthy junk food are common and some schools sell candy, chocolate, and soda to their students.<ref name="Hussain Al-Qatari">{{cite book|last=Al-Qatari|first=Hussain|title=Packing Obesity: A Peek into a Student's Lunch Box|year=2010}}</ref> Specifically in Kuwaiti universities, other factors include eating between meals, marital status, and a male domination of sports.<ref name="A.N. Al-Isa" />

==Smoking==
A smoking ban in public places was introduced by Law No 15 of 1995 but was not strictly enforced.<ref>{{cite news|title=Up In Smoke|url=http://news.kuwaittimes.net/up-in-smoke/|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150615021320/http://news.kuwaittimes.net/up-in-smoke/|url-status=dead|archive-date=June 15, 2015|access-date=22 December 2015|publisher=Kuwait Times|date=11 June 2015}}</ref>  New regulations were introduced in 2015 which banned the smoking of indoor public places.<ref>{{cite news|title=Kuwait Bans Smoking in Malls and Public Indoors|url=http://kuwaitiful.com/news/kuwait-bans-smoking-in-malls-and-public-indoors/|access-date=22 December 2015|publisher=Kuwaitiful|date=26 July 2015|archive-date=23 December 2015|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20151223052348/http://kuwaitiful.com/news/kuwait-bans-smoking-in-malls-and-public-indoors/|url-status=dead}}</ref>

Smoking while driving is considered one of the major causes of accidents. In 2015, the General Traffic Department considered enforcing the law that bans motorists smoking inside their vehicles while driving.<ref>{{cite news|title=Kuwait plans to enforce ban on smoking inside vehicles|url=http://www.arabianbusiness.com/kuwait-plans-enforce-ban-on-smoking-inside-vehicles--602036.html|access-date=22 December 2015|publisher=Arabian Business|date=10 August 2015}}</ref>

==See also==
* [Healthcare in Kuwait](/source/Healthcare_in_Kuwait)
* [List of hospitals in Kuwait](/source/List_of_hospitals_in_Kuwait)

==References==
{{reflist}}

{{Kuwait topics}}
{{Asia topic|Health in}}

Category:Health in Kuwait
Kuwait
Category:Smoking by country

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Adapted from the Wikipedia article [Health in Kuwait](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Health_in_Kuwait) by Wikipedia contributors ([contributor history](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Health_in_Kuwait?action=history)). Available under [Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International](https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/). Changes may have been made.