Physical activity is an integral part of any school system and children should be required to participate in order to maintain good health. The inclusion of sports in any given school curriculum is a must.
The Health Authority Abu Dhabi (HAAD) and the Abu Dhabi Education Council (ADEC) have joined forces in order to make physical education mandatory across all private and public schools in the emirate. The decision was reached following findings of the Global School Survey, which showed that 12.1 per cent of adolescents across the emirate are either obese or overweight. "Children in the emirate aren't in good health. They're not eating the right food, nor exercising enough. Our main concern is that 70 per cent of overweight adolescents stand a chance of becoming obese adults," said Salim Adib, HAAD Public Health Manager.
The approach taken by the authorities in Abu Dhabi is the right one as it tackles the problem at its root. They are looking into educating children at a young age about the importance of healthy food and substitutes to junk food. They are also looking into providing a variety of sports facilities at schools so that children have the opportunity to become more engaged in physical activities during their long hours at school.
There are a total of 550,000 children in Abu Dhabi, which is a substantial number. HAAD's approach is constructive as it is a long-term and proactive attempt to engage all private and public schools across the emirate.
With the adoption of unhealthy diets and a sedentary lifestyle, children in the UAE are prone to developing dangerous diseases that will pose a serious problem for them and the authorities in the long term. The experiment in Abu Dhabi should become the cornerstone for a countrywide project.
