68% UAE students unfit: Unicef study

If you thought planning a well-balanced diet was enough to ensure your child's health, then think again. If it’s not coupled with daily exercise, then the health quotient dips drastically.

A research, conducted by Unicef as part of their initiative to fight obesity in UAE children, revealed that 68 per cent of students in the emirate do not exercise or exercise less than an hour a day.

It even hinted at their poor diet, recording that 21 per cent of the 5,000 students quizzed during the study did not drink milk, while 55 per cent did not eat fruits.

Speaking to ‘Emirates24|7’, Ola Saleh, Unicef nutritionist, highlighted how diet and physical activity go hand-in-hand, and are essential elements to ensure good health.

“The World Health Organisation (WHO) recommendation of physical activity for children aged 5-17 years is 60 minutes of physical activity each day,” she added.

“Physical activities for children and adolescents should be developmentally-appropriate, fun, and offer variety. Each child is different, so forcing a child to a specific activity is not advisable.

“The child should enjoy the activity and consider it ‘play-time’ rather than a duty or task.

“Also, one of our major concerns is the amount of screen time (television, computer, electronics...etc) children spend each day, where it should not exceed two hours a day.”

The project monitored students aged between 12 and 15 in government schools, and collected date on their height, weight, waist circumference and percentage of body fat.

Titled ‘Prevention of obesity in children’, the school programme was launched in public schools in 2011-12.

Detailing how schools can play an important role in motivating kids to be active, Ola asserted that merely introducing Physical Education (PE) courses on a weekly basis isn’t enough as many kids can opt out of it.

Many children, she observed during the study, either refused to participate or were forced to do so. Both approaches can have only negative impacts, she highlighted.

“It should be a matter of personal conviction, so we emphasize on the importance and benefits of physical activity, so that students are motivated and choose to participate in activities voluntarily.”

A questionnaire on the child’s understanding of healthy eating habits was also conducted, with Ola informing that the preliminary analysis of the date shows that girls are more aware at 59 per cent, while boys recorded 58 per cent.

Lack of enough activity can also cause raise health alarms among adults.

“Sedentary lifestyle and unhealthy eating habits are the main cause of the high prevalence of Type 2 diabetes in UAE,” she added.

According to the International Diabetes Federation (IDF), 58 per cent of Type 2 diabetes is preventable by increasing physical activity and adopting a healthy diet.

“Including 150-minutes of moderate physical activity a week/30-minutes a day, 5 days a week for adults will do wonders, and so will a diet low in fat, salt and simple sugars.”

She highlighted parents must also remember that they play a crucial role in molding their child’s habits.

“Parents are the role models for their children, thus they are the most influential in determining their children's lifestyle.

“A study in the Journal of Pediatrics revealed that one of five main risk factors for childhood obesity was overweight parents. Therefore, it is crucial to include parents, especially mothers, in the health education process as they play a pivotal role in shaping the eating habits of the family.”

Tipping parents on how to be more vigilant players, she said, family meals help a great deal. “Include your child in the decision-making, and ensure the food is presented in an appealing way.”

She stressed that parents must have realistic expectations from their children, and never “ban” things. “Provide healthier alternatives and remember it's all about moderation and balance.”

And, if food is rejected, then she advised parents to “try different recipes and presentations”.

Even schools need to chip in, as they also impact a child’s health.

“Children spend more time in school than in any other environment (7-8 hours) and consume almost 30 per cent of their daily food intake there, so the school setting does have remarkable impact on the child’s nutrition and health.”

“Teachers’ role is to encourage, support and motivate healthy eating.”

She stressed on how they have used participatory methods to deliver the Health Education Sessions. “It is the responsibility of the students to educate their peers through fun and age appropriate ways such as games, healthy cooking contests, and scientific experiments.

The inclusion of students as the decision-makers has been encouraging, she said, adding, “The response and engagement of students was astounding as they enjoyed the fun learning process and the sense of responsibility it gave them towards educating their peers.”

That’s not all. “Workshops were also organised for parents and teachers on healthy lifestyle and student’s mental health.”

Ola added that Phase l of the project was carried out during the 2011-2012 school year and benefitted 3,500 students in 10 public schools in Abu Dhabi and Dubai.

Phase 2 was carried out during the 2012-2013 school year, four public schools (2 in Ajman and 2 in Umm Al Quwain), which benefited about 1,500 students.

Currently, the implementation of phase 3 of the project is being carried out in four public schools (2 in Ras Al Khaimah and Fujairah 2) which will benefit about 2,000 students.
 

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