“The global crisis of obesity and associated lifestyle diseases is not just a medical issue. It is a deeply personal human issue requiring a deeply personal human response as people are not just statistics,” said Princess Haya bint Al Hussain, chairperson of Dubai Health Care City and wife of His Highness Shaikh Mohammad bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Vice-President and Prime Minister of UAE and Ruler of Dubai, on Wednesday.
She was delivering the keynote address at the Economist Global Crisis of Obesity Summit. Her topic for the keynote address was “Towards national culture and wellbeing and the importance of youth engagement”.
She observed that the issue was painfully relevant for Dubai, where 75 per cent of adults are overweight and obese, and with 10 per cent of the world’s diabetics being from the Gulf region.
“Good health is our right but it is also a privilege. Treat it well, wisely and proactively. It’s important we teach our youth to make wise and not easy choices,” she said.
She emphasised that it was time for the world to destigmatise obesity, like was done with mental health, and now was the time for a paradigm shift.
Princess Haya said that apart from public policy and strategy such as Dubai has undertaken by building cycle tracks and including physical sports in schools, it was the responsibility of the food and drink industry to curb the availability of fast foods and not just to leave it to legislation. Parents need to do more to ingrain healthy food habits in children.
“Obesity is not just a medical issue, it is a social, personal and emotional issue and public policy is not enough to tackle it,” she observed
She impressed upon the specialists gathered at the summit that the crisis required very fast and radical action, and that “it starts with you”.
