Employees at Dubai Health Authority (DHA) can now enjoy a fruitful day throughout their working week thanks to the Authority’s new initiative of providing a variety of fruits every day. Workers can purchase discounted fruit for just Dh2 of which Dh1 goes back to charity. The campaign was inaugurated by Dr Ahmad Bin Kalban, CEO of Hospital Services Sector at the DHA.
“The initiative has a two-fold purpose; firstly it is in line with the UAE National Strategy for the Year of Giving and secondly it will motivate employees to
eat healthy snacks instead of junk food,” says Dr Wafaa Ayesh, Director of Clinical Nutrition Department at the Dubai Health Authority.
According to the Dubai Household Health Survey, a study by DHA and the Dubai Statistics Centre of 5,000 households in 2009, 59 per cent of the population in the emirate does not consume sufficient quantities of fruits
and vegetables.
The World Health Organisation defines sufficient fruit and vegetables consumption as at least 400g of fruit and vegetables every day, excluding potatoes and other starchy tubers.
“That’s more than half the population,” says Dr Ayesh. “Hopefully initiatives such as this one will encourage the population to pick up a fruit, which is full of vitamins, minerals and antioxidants as opposed to sugary and salty snacks. Even diabetics can have a fruit a day as long as the glycaemic index of the fruit is not high and as long as they control portions. It is certainly a healthier option than junk food for snacks.
“Through this initiative we would like to promote a healthy culture and the concept of having healthy snacks regularly; in particular fruits. In addition to three main meals we encourage people to consume two small snacks and having a fruit as a snack is a great way to boost immunity and provide the body with antioxidants.”
Wider initiatives
In addition to this initiative, the department is distributing water bottles free of charge to people exercising in parks in Dubai. Dr Ayesh says, “Again, this initiative stems from the fact that people do not hydrate sufficiently, which is one of the reasons they store body fat and find it difficult to achieve weight loss despite trying several diets.
“Hydration is particularly important for diabetics and there is a high prevalence of diabetics in the country so it is important to educate them through such initiatives because diabetics have a tendency to get dehydrated faster than those without the disease.”
Dr Ayesh says the Authority also conducted an initiative where education material was distributed and there were events such as free health screenings at jogging tracks across the city. The Angiz Akhar (Do More) campaign took place for three consecutive years.
As part of the campaign, DHA nutritionists and physiotherapists carried out 10 awareness campaigns each year at Dubai’s walking tracks.
“This campaign was rolled out at walking tracks across several parks in Dubai,” says Dr Ayesh. “Our nutritionists educated the public about topics such as nutrition for athletes, natural and unnatural sources of protein, ideal foods to consume before and after exercise, the importance of good carbohydrates, hazards of energy drinks.”
Physiotherapists were also present, discussing topics such as exercise and posture, correct way of exercising to avoid injuries. As part of the initiative, DHA health professionals also provided free health screenings, including BMI, blood sugar, blood pressure and bone density screening.
“We started this campaign after we noticed that although some of our patients were regular exercisers they weren’t following correct practices such as drinking enough water during exercise and consuming enough protein,” says Dr Ayesh. “We then realised that it is important to educate people who exercise about correct nutrition, especially before and after exercise, that’s why we started this campaign.
“We want to ensure residents can see the positive results of exercising and being healthy. Over the last four years, we have educated hundreds of people and have received very positive feedback.”
