Study Finds Obesity Rates Higher Among UAE Nationals Than Expats

One in four 25 per cent adult expat residents were obese, while one in three 33 per cent adult Emiratis are overweight, according to a new study.

Read more: OBESITY SURGE COSTS UAE NEARLY $12 BILLION ANNUALLY, REPORTS INDICATE

The latest data released by the World Obesity Federation showed that nearly 40 per cent of children were living with overweight or obesity in the UAE, while 7,622 adult deaths were linked to non-communicable diseases due to overweight or obesity in 2019.

The study found that the economic impact of overweight was $12 billion annually.

By 2035, it is estimated that nearly 7.5 million individuals in the UAE, including adults, children, and adolescents, will struggle with obesity, leading to a projected cost of $30.7 billion.

Specifically, around 700,000 children and adolescents are expected to grapple with overweight or obesity by that time, with approximately 400,000 boys and over 300,000 girls affected.

The study highlights concerning health implications, with approximately 66,127 children forecasted to have high blood pressure, 24,815 facing hyperglycemia (high blood sugar), and 69,640 experiencing low HDL cholesterol due to overweight and obesity.

Furthermore, the economic ramifications of obesity are predicted to climb to nearly 5% of the UAE's GDP by 2035, emphasizing the critical need for comprehensive national and local public health endeavors to shift the current trajectory.

Johanna Ralston, CEO of the World Obesity Federation, underscored the detrimental effects of the prevailing approach towards obesity, stressing that continuing with fragmented efforts will only result in a rise in obesity prevalence and associated economic burdens.

Ralston urged policymakers in the UAE to leverage the newly available data as an impetus to enact transformative strategies to combat the obesity epidemic effectively.

Looking ahead to 2060, projections indicate a potentially alarming obesity prevalence of 66.48% in men and 64.21% in women if current trends persist.

NOT RECOGNISING OBESITY AS A DISEASE

World Obesity Day is marked globally on March 4 to raise awareness and advocate for practical solutions to addressing the global obesity crisis.

Despite laudable efforts in the UAE to address overweight and obesity in recent years, from making women’s fitness options accessible to all to the implementation of an excise tax on sugar-sweetened beverages and a focus on food standards in schools, experts suggest that there is room for more to be done,” said the World Obesity Federation.

Dr Sara Suliman, consultant endocrinologist and diabetologist in Abu Dhabi at Imperial College London Diabetes Centre, said the UAE has established standards of care for obesity management since 2008.

However, in a region facing some of the highest obesity rates, we have established a working group that is on track to become a registered society with the backing of the World Obesity Federation.

The goal is to develop unified guidelines to promote education and raise awareness about obesity and effective strategies to address it," she explained.

The key obstacles in managing obesity include the acknowledgment of obesity as a disease, educating healthcare professionals and those affected, providing clear management protocols, and securing support from all sectors involved in obesity prevention and management," as highlighted by the World Obesity Federation.

OBESITY INCREASES WITH AGE

The study found that generally, combined overweight and obesity increases with age in the adult UAE population.

The trend is more prominent in women, where prevalence rises from 48.9 per cent in 18-29-year-olds to 80.6 per cent in 60-69-year-olds. Over half of women between 60-69 years of age are living with obesity.

In contrast, obesity prevalence in men is relatively stable across age groups.

The study also found that 82.8 per cent of adults eat less than five servings of fruit and/or vegetables on average per day, while 70.8 per cent of adults have insufficient physical activity.

Around 88 per cent of adults are covered by some form of health insurance, and most of those who are not covered are non-nationals.

Source: zawya