Dubai: The rate of obesity is steadily climbing among schoolchildren, and a watchful approach in terms of diet and exercise during the new academic year is integral to deal with the growing numbers of overweight students, according to school health advocates.

Figures from a country-wide survey of Emirati and expatriate schoolchildren by the Ministry of Health (MoH) conducted last year suggest that 15.5 per cent are obese, 39.2 per cent are overweight and an alarming 21 per cent consume fast food three times or more a day.

Obese children are in danger of developing several medical conditions like Type 2 diabetes, heart disease, high blood pressure and sleep apnoea. Further, these children suffer from low self-esteem, hindering their academic and social functioning.

The usual suspects are inadequate exercise at school and after school, unhealthy eating habits with high intake of fast foods, and watching television or playing electronic games for long hours.

Several programmes to address the two major causes of obesity — lack of exercise and unhealthy diets, are in place for the school year ahead, said Dr Ola Mira, head of the School Health Department at the MoH.

Speaking to Gulf News, Dr Mira said: “We are making every effort through our school health programmes to tackle the rising rate of obesity. We are working with the Ministry of Education to increase the time dedicated to physical education at schools.”

She explained that the ministries are endeavouring to analyse the physical education curricula to find out whether the current time allocated for physical education at school is adequate, and striving to introduce a unified national policy to deal with childhood obesity.

The psychological effects of obesity can be serious as well, cautioned Dr Mohammad Tahir, child and adolescent psychiatrist at Health Call, Dubai Healthcare City (DHCC).

He said: “Low self-esteem is commonly associated with an overweight or obese child who may be bullied or picked on at school. Psychologically, low self-esteem manifests in the form of anti-social behaviour and poor academic performance.”

Responding to the childhood obesity issue, Live’ly, a UAE-based nutritional, educational and caterer will launch a comprehensive food programme designed for children in September.

Yasmin Haddad, senior dietician at Live’ly, told Gulf News: “Not all school canteens are stocked with healthy food; many have doughnuts, high-sugar drinks, chips and high-fat sandwiches. Parents should be role models by choosing healthy food, and teaching their children the benefits of a balanced diet and the dangers of obesity. Parents should also monitor food consumption.”

Haddad added that involving children in the preparation of their school lunch boxes was also quite effective in educating them about good food habits.