'The Fat Truth' campaign launched to fight Child Obesity

The campaign which will take place from 20th April to 20th July 2009 was announced during a press conference at Raffles Hotel, Dubai attended by the Minister of Health HE Hameed Al Qatami, UNICEF's Representative in the Gulf, Dr. Ayman Abu Laban and representative of WHO (Regional Office in the Middle East). The conference was also attended by a number of VIPs, partners and media representatives.

Princess Haya said:

"Our children are the foundation of the future of our society, our commitment as parents, governments, and institutions should be to take the right decisions for their long-term good and so give our children the opportunity to enjoy a better life, full of health and energy."

His Excellency Minister Hameed Al Qatami said, "Through his wise leadership, His Highness Sheikh Khalifa Bin Zayed Al Nahyan, President of the UAE, always emphasizes on the importance of upgrading health services for all groups of the society, and puts the health of our children as the core priority of the Ministry as they are the future and the key to comprehensive development, in light of the wise government's guidance lead by HH Sheikh Mohammad Bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Vice President and Prime Minister of the UAE and Ruler of Dubai by building people's capacities in the UAE and enhancing their quality of life through providing better health and social care."

His Excellency also referred to the statistics that show that around 10% of children and adolescents (between 16 and 17 years old) in the world suffer from obesity. He also added that statistics in the UAE show that around 12% of children are overweight, while 22% thereof are susceptible to obesity.

The Minister attributed this problem to the lack of exercise, and increasing consumption of fatty and sugary food items.

He also warned from the dangers on children health as child obesity complications can cause high blood pressure, diabetes, heart diseases and cancer in addition to the psychological problems which obese children suffer from.

The Minister commended the efforts of HRH Princess Haya in the field of Health Care in general, and he praised her pioneer role in supporting the nursing and midwifery, providing care for people with special needs, and supporting activities and conferences that aim to enhance health and provide better services for children.

He elaborated that the Ministry is working on a number of programs that aim to secure health and safety for children from the early phases of their development, such as programs for mothers and children, awareness campaigns that tackle the health of younger children, and methods to initiate healthy practices, good nutrition and exercise. These programs also aim to discourage children and adolescents from engaging in harmful practices such as refraining from exercising, smoking and unhealthy eating.

HE Al Qatami also highlighted the Ministry's efforts in fighting childhood obesity through cooperating with different institutions and stakeholders such as the Ministry of Education by implementing several joint projects that aim to increase awareness among school students and encourage them to engage in sports and healthy practices, and avoid harmful practices. Cooperation between various institutions and entities is crucial to identify the right solutions to combat this phenomenon. In this context, the Ministry is currently focusing on developing plans and programs to enhance healthy lifestyles.

Dr. Ayman Abu Laban, UNICEF Representative in the GCC, said, "Securing children's Health and protecting them from risks associated with diseases is a basic right that UNICEF works diligently to ensure that it is respected and implemented in all societies."

"The highly appreciated support of her Royal Highness Princess Haya Bint Al Hussein and the Ministry of Health is solid proof of the interest and efforts that the UAE puts into protecting the health of children," he added.

The Ministry of Health and UNICEF are cooperating through "The Fat Truth Campaign" to combat childhood obesity in the UAE though involving and educating parents and caregivers and involving the healthcare and educational sectors, as well as policymakers, government bodies and institutions in the problem solving process.

"The Fat Truth"-campaign aims to raise awareness about the issue of childhood obesity. Obesity is defined as a condition that occurs when there is an excessive accumulation and storage of fat in the body. This problem is starting to become more evident in the UAE, as more and more people are adopting unhealthy and inactive lifestyles, depending on junk food and unhealthy nutritious practices. The UAE now ranks 10th in the world amongst countries with the most overweight people as statistics show that 70% of Emiratis and around 12% of children suffer from overweight.

The campaign will include a number of activities that shall be implemented over the coming three months in various schools in cooperation with the Knowledge and Human Development Authority and Dubai Sports Council. Educational leaflets will be distributed in malls and clinics. In addition, a number of workshops targeting various sectors and stakeholders will be organized in cooperation with Dubai Chamber and Dubai Press Club.

To complement these activities and increase awareness, an intensive media campaign will be launched supported by the 2 strategic media partners: Dubai Media Incorporated and Nickelodeon, in addition to Motivate Publishers, ITB Publishers, MediaQuest, Saydati wa Tefluki, Jeeran and Maktoob.

The campaign is also supported by UNICEF's strategic partner the General Women's Union, WHO, the Ministry of Education and Princess Haya initiative for the Development Health, Physical education and school sports. Partners from the private sector include: Virgin Mega Store, Fitness First, My Gym and Right Bite.