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Weeklong drive to change urban lifestyle in UAE

The UAE Ministry of Health aims at educating 25,000 people within a week to help them change the patterns of their daily lives brought about by urban expansion.

The educational programme will start today at the Sharjah Cooperative Union in Halwan on the occasion of World Health Day and will teach people on how to change their eating, smoking and exercising habits. The ministry will also register the shopping patterns for the purpose of a survey.

“We want to educate the members of the community on how to change the pattern of their life which has undergone rapid change due to urban expansion,” said Dr Mahmoud Fikri, Executive Director for Health Policies at the ministry.

The UAE is among the several countries that are part of the World Health Organisation’s “1000 cities, 1000 lives” campaign to highlight this year’s theme “Urban health matters”. The key message today is to make health a priority in urban policy.

“Improving urban health requires an integrated approach and a planned response from government, academia and civil society,” Dr Hussein A. Gezairy, WHO Regional Director for the Eastern Mediterranean, said in a message on the occasion. “Only then will we fill the basic development 
gaps in our cities.

“World Health Day 2010 should be a springboard for changing social norms and improving community understanding and acceptance of the need to integrate physical activity into everyday life. This cannot be done without building a supportive environment that enables people across the socioeconomic spectrum to make healthy choices.”

Urbanisation is a fast growing trend worldwide and it encompasses many health challenges, some of which directly or indirectly impact the health and livelihood of urban dwellers, according to the regional director.

“The World Health Day campaign also provides an occasion to promote the importance of nutrition in health and development and an opportunity to raise awareness on the importance of food safety in urban settings,” he added.

The ministry has set up a ‘health tent’ where 12 booths will provide people with free tests and consultations on blood sugar levels, blood pressure, cholesterol, body mass index and tests for smokers and non-smokers among other tests.