Sedentary Lifestyle Hits Ramadan

September was a big month in television.

There were premieres and returning favourites. There was laughter, tears, history and controversy. And what would television be without a dose of reality?

Before going any further, we should probably point out this isn't a column about Beverley Hills 90210 returning to the airwaves.

Instead, we're talking about the millions of viewers tuning into Ramadan Sweeps.

It's another month before the Nielsen Ratings bring some juicy plotlines to American television. But, in the Middle East, not only is Ramadan the month of religious observance and fasting, it's also when Arab television stations revamp their lineups.

The premise is pretty much the same - networks vie for the viewer's attention while advertisers vie for prime commercial real estate. For an entire month, people sit glued to the television.

In America, Nielsen Media Research says the average person spends about 127 hours a month watching television. We're seeing the affects of that sedentary lifestyle. About 33 percent of American men and 35 percent of women are obese.

It's no secret how this happened. Processed food is a staple in our diets and we're spending too much time watching TV. Knowing this, somehow this culture is being exported around the world - and not even the holy month of Ramadan is exempt.

So how did a religious observance turn into the month for must-see TV?

Between one and two billion people practice Islam worldwide. During Ramadan, Muslims do not eat or drink anything between dawn and sunset to practice self-restraint and devote time to prayer.

In recent years, development has given rise to the middle class - a group of people now able to afford western luxuries. With more demand comes more television.

At Ramadan, stations like Dubai TV and the Middle East Broadcasting Center find their captive audience - millions of people sitting down to eat. So, they invest in their Ramadan lineup.

The shows are largely made in Kuwait, Egypt and Syria. This year there were about 140 shows that went to air. The season is so huge, networks earn about 20 percent of their annual ad revenue in this one month.

But, what's the big deal? After a day of fasting, why not spend the evening watching a show like Noor, a Turkish soap opera featuring a lower-class young woman and her relationship with the rich and handsome, Mohannad.

Well, traditionally, fast was broken with family time when everyone came together over conversation and music. Now, quality time with family is being replaced with quality time in front of the TV. Conversation is replaced by scripts and commercials.

The commercials are much like those we would see in North America. And, like here, they know the audience. Ads promote Big Macs, instant dinners and fatty foods.

Unfortunately, they are working. Fast was once broken with dates and water, moving on to full meals later in the evening. Today, it is more common to binge on heavy, rich, processed foods. That's making beltlines expand.

It's so bad the Jordanian government launched one of the first media campaigns in the Arab world. The message: "Don't overeat" and "exercise and stay healthy."

This is because hospitals have reported seeing increases in heart attacks, strokes and diabetic comas in the first week of Ramadan - an incredibly alarming and unhealthy trend.

It's no secret that obesity is rising and quickly. But it's not a North American problem anymore.

Sure, the rise in the middle class has improved standards of living for many people.

But, when these new lifestyle choices interfere with observing this important holiday, maybe last year's jeans aren't the only things that don't fit.