Now that summer is over and the weather has calmed down a bit, it is perfect time for the youngsters to head outside and enjoy some exercise.

However, although the weather might be good for playing outside, that doesn't mean that the facilities for outdoor exercise are good enough.

Raam Saade
With reports about obesity levels almost constantly in the news, it seems more vital than ever that youngsters are given decent play areas where they can burn off a few calories.

In the United States, lack of exercise is the biggest single concern of parents, with 21 per cent of them highlighting it as a major culprit in a recent survey.

Gulf News took to the streets and spoke to a cross-section of Dubai residents both parents and non-parents to find out if they thought the city's young people were being let down by a lack of play and exercise facilities.

Saida Hussain, 59, a UAE national of Jordanian origin who is managing director of a veterinary supplies company, said it was the fault of parents that children did not play outside much.

Lizl Deridder
"Parents are not taking their children out enough because they are too busy some parents really are very careless. I feel pity for the children although of course the weather here doesn't help," she said.

She said some play facilities indoors were not what they should be and she was reluctant to let her grandchildren use them.

"Children do not get enough exercise unless you taken them to a mall and pay Dh20 for them to use a play area. The problem is that many of these play areas are not very clean," she said.

Indian sales consultant Johnson Benjamin, 24, said he would like to see more places where children could play.

John Selwyn
"We need other parks like Safa Park as well as better indoor equipment so children do not end up glued in front of the television. They should do more for children," he said.

John Selwyn, a 45-year-old Indian, admitted it was hard to ensure that his children get enough exercise.

"I have three children, but they go to school at midday and come back at seven, and by then there is no time for them to play.

"They are off on Thursday and Friday, but Friday is taken up going to church, and so the only full day off is Thursday, when they like to watch television.

Katherine Brockman
"When they watch television continuously it's bad for them but there's no place for them to go. It's very bad compared to my country," he said.

Elmira Massimova, 36, a sales supervisor from Kazakhstan, also made unfavourable comparisons with her homeland.

"In my country we have trees and gardens where people can walk and play with their children, but here there are not enough.

"There are gardens such as Safa Park, Creek Park and Al Mamzar Park, but for people on medium incomes who don't have a car, they are difficult to reach," she said.

By contrast, Lebanese film editor Raam Saade, 30, said the UAE was better than her native land.

"Compared to Lebanon I think yes there are enough places for children, especially indoors for the hot season when it's bad outside.

"I live at The Gardens and there are play areas and swimming pools there. I also go to Safa Park with my son," she said.

Andreas Aengenheister, 51, a German businessman, said the facilities were fine it was just that people were reluctant to make the effort to visit them.

"I think there are enough places to go if people want to use them. There are big parks. You might have to do a little bit of driving to get to them, but there are as many here as in other places I have seen.

"This city is very child friendly. There are playgrounds for them, but people don't make enough use of them. It's not the case that they aren't available," he said.

Lizl Deridder, 27, an airline stewardess from South Africa, agreed with Aengenheister that there were facilities there for youngsters to use.

"I would say that they exist in large numbers. Some of the children you see here are very large and obviously don't exercise enough, but I don't think this is because of a lack of facilities," she said.

Her views were echoed by Batul Contractor, 14, who said there were "very many" play areas for children in Dubai.

"As well as play areas outside, in many of the malls there are places where children can go to enjoy themselves. When children are into playing they put their heart and soul into it," she said.

Syrian public relations worker Fahed Yehya, 42, said: "I think the playgrounds for children are good. There are lots of them and most children here do get enough exercise."

Japanese housewife Kiyono Nakajima, 39, who has two sons, also said there were enough places where youngsters could have fun.

"We go to Umm Suqeim Park, which is good, and Safa Park as well," she said.

Nakajima said during the parts of the summer when she was in Dubai, she made sure her boys got some exercise by taking them swimming.

However, she added that they tended to be less physically active in Dubai than they would be if they lived in Japan.

"Compared to back home, children tend to stay indoors more and they don't walk much as they take cars everywhere," she said.

English housewife Wendy Trim, 37, is a regular visitor to parks - she has sons aged nine, seven, four and one who need to be entertained.

As she has only recently moved to Dubai, Trim said she had not yet discovered everything that the city had to offer.

However, she added: "There are a few parks and play areas dotted round but the ones I've seen are not that brilliant.

"The best one I've been to is Safa Park. There's a lot