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Campaign to Fight Childhood Obesity Gains Momentum

DUBAI - The three-day Fat Truth campaign to educate and fight childhood obesity in the UAE, by In Motion in collaboration with United Nations Children’s Funds (UNICEF) and organised by the Ministry of Health, was held in uptown Mirdiff on Saturday.

Children aged between 6-17 were identified as the ‘gamer generation’ since they tend to spend many hours behind closed doors on their Playstation or Xbox, said Osama Al Othman, founding partner of In Motion.

“We target that age as those kids past the age of six don’t have any parks to go to,” Al Othman said.

To fight obesity, In Motion has set up electronic games for the ‘gamer generation’. Not much different than the electronic games those kids have in their homes, a more physical touch is included to modify these games from their inactive and
passive self.

For example an electronic race car game forces the players to paddle with their feet faster to increase their vehicle’s speed. Workshops have also been set up to inform children and parents on Body Mass Index.

“Kids have to sustain their fitness from their childhood, so they do not risk becoming obese when they grow older,” said Al Othman.

According to Action for Health Kids (2003) nearly 200 studies on the effect of exercise on cognitive function suggest that physical activity supports learning.

Children with daily physical education exhibits better attendance, more positive attitude to school and superior academic performance.

“Physical activity promotes psychological well-being and has a significant impact on children’s performance in schools,” said Maya Wahsh, Programme Officer, UNICEF-Gulf Area.

“Identifying the right enjoyable tools to engage children into an active lifestyle is crucial to initiate a sustainable behaviour change to help children avoid or overcome overweight and obesity,” she added.


ibrahim@khaleejtimes.com