Browse
related articles
The UAE has one of the highest rates of childhood obesity in the world with around 22% of children classed as overweight and 14% as obese, according to the most recent international data.
A further study carried out by local researchers shows that almost half (48.8%) of pupils attending private secondary schools in Dubai have a 'poor level of sporting practice', while one fifth (21.2%) do 'no sport' at all.
Dr. Alya Ahmed, official UAE spokesperson for the American Academy of Paediatrics (AAP), and paediatrician at The City Hospital in Dubai, urged parents to encourage their children to take regular exercise and to limit the amount of time they spend watching TV and playing video games.
"Evidence-based recommendations from AAP say kids should do one hour of activity every day or most days. This covers any type of sports including running, walking, swimming, and even free play for younger children. The recommendation is part of the AAP's 5.2.1 rule for healthy children - it stands for five pieces of fruit and vegetables, two hours of sedentary or screen time, and one hour of activity per day," she explained.
"In the UAE we are still at the awareness stage with childhood obesity, people do not see it as a disease yet. But it is, and it is the responsibility of parents, doctors and teachers to act to prevent children from becoming overweight by encouraging them to exercise and eat healthily,"
Dr. Ahmed added.
At the same time access to sporting facilities for youngsters in Dubai is set to receive a huge boost with the opening of the Academies Campus at Dubai Sports City, which is due to be fully operational by January 2010.
The campus will offer up to 2,300 children per week the chance to take part in world-class coaching for football, rugby, cricket, swimming and hockey, as well as access to a running track and a hi-performance centre.
Exercise expert Tommy Wingrove, head coach at Manchester United Soccer Schools, Dubai, based in Dubai Sports City, said the facilities offered children across the UAE an unprecedented opportunity to take part in sports.
"Being active for at least one hour a day is an easy piece of advice for parents and should be easy for children to achieve, especially with the opening of more sporting facilities at Dubai Sports City. Our Academies will offer world-class sports coaching to everyone who wants to start enjoying a healthier lifestyle," he said.
"Children across the UAE need to be see exercise as a normal part of their daily lives if we are to see a reduction in the alarming rates of childhood obesity, and cut rates of heart disease in the future," he added.
The study on sporting activity in Dubai secondary schools was carried out by the Primary Healthcare Department at Dubai Health Authority, and published in the WHO Eastern Mediterranean Health Journal in May - June 2008 [Volume 14, No.3].
The research on childhood obesity was carried out by the Royal Victoria Infirmary in Newcastle upon Tyne, UK, and published in the journal Obesity Review in January 2007 [Volume 8. No 1].
Posted by Rana Mesbah
