Regional/Cultural Day
Youm al-Sihha al-Alamiyya
In Kuwait, World Health Day highlights the challenges of public health in a wealthy desert nation: obesity (over 40 percent of Kuwaiti adults are obese), diabetes (affecting roughly 25 percent of the population), and the sedentary lifestyle that comes with a car-dependent city. The Ministry of Health organizes free health screenings at malls and hospitals, and the day is an opportunity to promote the traditional Kuwaiti diet of fish, rice, and dates, which is far healthier than the fast food that has replaced it in many Kuwaiti households.
