Dubai is looking at regulation to address the obesity issue in schoolchildren, according to Dubai Municipality officials.
Almost 33 percent of UAE children in the age group of 5-17 are overweight and obese, which leads to diabetes, the civic body said which will hold the first Dubai International Conference on Applied Nutrition on November 7 and 8 at the Dubai International Convention and Exhibition Centre to address the issues of diseases caused by wrong dietary habits.
The conference will showcase some of the best international initiatives taken in schools and communities to promote a good and healthy food culture.
“As we all know, there is a tremendous increase in diet related chronic diseases in Dubai and the region, largely linked to excessive or unbalanced intake of certain types of food and sedentary lifestyle,” Khalid Mohammed Sharif, Assistant Director General of Dubai Municipality for Environment, Health and Safety Control Sector, said in a statement.
“We also have another risk in the form of unhealthy food choices where in people are consuming excess of certain foods that are high in calories or have ingredients that shouldn’t be consumed in large quantities such as salt, saturated fat and sugar,” he said.
The recommendations from the conference will help shape regulations for the local market, Jehaina Hassan Al Ali, principal food studies and surveys officer at the department, told Gulf News.
The UAE National Agenda leading to the Vision 2021 has outlined the importance of prevention and seeks to reduce lifestyle-related diseases such as diabetes and cardiovascular diseases to ensure a longer, healthy life for citizens and residents.
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