Dubai: Participation in the Dubai Fitness Challenge jumped 34 per cent year-on-year from 786,000 in 2017 to an unprecedented 1,053,100 last year, according to an impact assessment for the 30-day fitness drive, which ran from October 26 to November 24.

The second edition of the movement to make Dubai the most active city on earth, spearheaded by Shaikh Hamdan Bin Mohammad Bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Crown Prince of Dubai and Chairman of Dubai Executive Council, also saw an engagement rate of 92 per cent up from 90 per cent in 2017.

Eight thousand free-to-attend activations, wellness workshops and training sessions were available across 250 locations in the city, enabling visitors and residents to fulfil their challenge of partaking in 30 minutes of fitness for 30 days.

Overall satisfaction was rated at 87 per cent up from 85 per cent the year before, with the top drivers of satisfaction including safety and security (89 per cent), staff friendliness (88 per cent) and environmental/spatial ambience (84 per cent).

In addition a promise of inclusivity was delivered with 31 per cent of participants being Indian, 11 per cent Filipino, and 10 per cent Emirati in addition to thousands more from numerous countries outside of these top three nationalities.

More than half of the participants were students, with schools accounting for 55 per cent of registrants, strongly growing their representation from 44 per cent in 2017.

This achievement falls in line with efforts to nurture a healthy lifestyle at the earliest opportunity among youth.

Ninety two per cent of participants achieved the 30x30 challenge compared to 90 per cent the year before, with 61 per cent recording at least 30 to 60 minutes a day, 21 per cent achieving 60 to 90 minutes and 10 per cent doing over 90 minutes of daily activity.

Forty one per cent participated in DFC activities, as opposed to 33 per cent the year before and 76 per cent now exercise three times a week, 50 per cent follow a specific diet, 73 per cent consume more than eight glasses of water per day and 70 per cent have recorded following a better sleeping pattern with more than six hours of sleep a day. Results show the variance between the pre and post DFC levels of activity doubling in 2018 to 28 per cent versus 14 per cent in 2017.

Fifty four per cent of residents used the App on a daily basis, with walking (30 per cent) and running (20 per cent) before the two most tracked activities.

The App continues long after the challenge with 18 per cent saying they continue to use the App as motivation to stay active.