Reality check: Youth becoming lazy bunch?

Besides increasing tobacco consumption, watching TV and playing video games for more than three hours daily have emerged as a worrying trend among the youth, according to the 2010-2011 report issued by the health ministry.

Obesity has also increased by up to four per cent in the past five years due to poor food choices and an inactive lifestyle, as per the report.

A survey among school students in the UAE showed that in 2005, 38 per cent of males and females between 13 and 15 years spent three hours or more watching TV or playing games. The numbers increased to 45 per cent among males and 56 per cent among females in 2010.

“What really worries us is the less physical activity rate among adolescents,” said Dr Mahmoud Fikri, Assistant Undersecretary for Health Policies at the ministry.

The World Health Organisation and US Disease Control Centre recommend that TV must not be watched for more than two hours daily. The school survey again showed that the obesity rate among students aged between 13 and 15 years increased from 12.1 per cent in 2005 to 15.5 per cent in 2010.

“The high rate of obesity among adolescents and children is dangerous and this goes back to the less physical activity, poor food consumption and high consumption of energy drinks and sugars,” said Dr Fikri.

According to the World Health Organisation estimates, the obesity rate will reach 44.6 per cent among women by 2015.

The smoking rate has also gone up among boys over the past five years.

In 2005, 14.1 per cent of male students smoked while the number has increased to 17.1 per cent in 2010. The total number of tobacco users increased from 12.7 per cent in 2005 to 15.3 per cent in 2010.

As per the report, the infant mortality rate decreased to 9.87 per cent in 2010 as compared to 12.6 per cent in 2000.

Heart disease was among the main cause of deaths in the UAE in 2010, according to the report.

Over 50 per cent of the deaths recorded in the UAE over the past 10 years were due to chronic diseases. Dr Fikri said that in 2010, cardiovascular diseases were the leading death cause (26 per cent) of the total deaths followed by accidents (17.24 per cent), cancers (9.86 per cent) and congenital anomalies (6.33 per cent). In 2011, the diabetes rate was 19.2 per cent. In the UAE, the annual average expenditure on every diabetes patient is $1,775 (Dh6,518).

asmaalizain@khaleejtimes.com

Watching TV

45% male and 56% female teens watch TV for over 3 hours daily

Obesity rate

15.5% among students in 2010, from 12.1% in 2005

Smoking rate

Increased to 17.1% among boys from 14.1% in 2005Number of tobacco users rose to 15.3% in 2010 from 12.7% in 2005

• UAE