Abu Dhabi unveils new healthy lifestyle strategy to tackle obesity, diabetes and chronic disease
Abu Dhabi has announced its sustainable strategy, a new sector plan designed to strengthen community health and well-being across the emirate.
Developed under the leadership of the Ministry of Health – Abu Dhabi, this strategy aims to help citizens and residents live a long, healthy and fulfilling life.
Putting prevention at the heart of its approach, the strategy seeks to tackle non-communicable diseases including obesity, diabetes, heart disease and cancer.
Abu Dhabi Healthy Living Strategy
It represents a multi-year commitment to bring together the Government, private companies, communities and people to build a healthy Abu Dhabi.
In its first phase, Abu Dhabi’s sustainability strategy will focus on three central pillars:
- Increased physical activity
- Improving Food and Nutrition
- Strengthen awareness and knowledge
It also emphasizes the importance of sleep and mental well-being as important drivers of health. These priorities will advance through improved infrastructure, support policies and policies, programs and behaviors that make healthy decisions easier in everyday life.
Health goals
Mansoor Ibrahim Al Mansoori, chairman of the Department of Health – Abu Dhabi, said: “Health starts before we enter the doctor’s clinic, how it is organized, and where we live.
“Good travel and good food must be a priority that defines how we live, learn and work together. By understanding intelligence, we can protect people, and build strong communities.”
At its core, strategies focus on behavior change. While everyone has a role to play in taking responsibility for their health, a healthy lifestyle strategy is designed to make healthy decisions more accessible and sustainable, preventing them from being restricted in everyday life.
Powered by digital intelligence, it identifies high-risk groups to target efforts and policies where they have impact.
Dr Ahmed Alkhazraji, Managing Director of Healthy Living, Strategic Implementation, said: “Our mission is clear: to make healthy living an easy choice for every citizen and resident in Abu Dhabi.
Health is not one-size-fits-all, which is why the strategy is grounded in behavioral science and designed to target areas of greatest need.
“Across the Emirate, strong efforts are already driving healthy lifestyles. The strategy aims to bring these efforts together, and ensure our resources across the government and focus on effective infrastructure for healthy eating, and strong health awareness.”
More than 20 options are approved under the plan, which will be implemented by a cross-section of government agencies and the private sector over the next year.
