15,000 expected for 'Your Child in Gold'

Dubai Municipality has announced that its health awareness initiative, ‘Your Child in Gold’, has attracted great interest with around 4,000 people registering online to participate in the weight-loss contest.

Walid Al Shaibani, head of DM Club and coordinator of the campaign, said, "We expect 15,000 participants to register for the initiative this year, which aims to educate children and families on obesity and its causes, which include leading an unhealthy lifestyle, and the possibility of addiction to TV, internet and other electronic devices.

Al Shaibani said that the public can register online through the contest’s website, and that taking part in the initiative is a step towards a more healthy Dubai population.

"Dubai aims to be one of the healthiest cities in the world. To achieve this big goal we need to change our food habits and promote physical activities to reduce lifestyle-related diseases such as obesity, cholesterol problems, diabetes, etc,’ Al Shaibani said.
 
According to the WHO, the UAE has one of the highest proportions of obesity. It is also estimated that 18.98 per cent of the population is suffering from diabetes, according to the World Diabetes Union in 2013.

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