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Final project

Problem & Solution

Many people today in the UAE are obese or seriously overweight. Why, and what can be done about it?

Introduction:

Obesity: in statistics

People are getting fatter almost everywhere in the world. The World Health Organization predicts there will be 2.3 billion overweight adults in the world by 2015 and more than 700 million of them will be obese. Figures for 2005 show 1.6 billion adults were overweight and 400 million were obese. People are getting fatter almost everywhere in the world. The World Health Organization predicts there will be 2.3 billion overweight adults in the world by 2015 and more than 700 million of them will be obese. Figures for 2005 show 1.6 billion adults were overweight and 400 million were obese. Obesity is a modern problem - statistics for it did not even exist 50 years ago. The increase of convenience foods, labour-saving devices, motorised transport and more sedentary jobs means people are getting fatter.

BMI Explained

The body mass index (BMI) is the most commonly-used way of classifying overweight and obesity in adult populations and individuals.

(http://news.bbc.co.uk/)


So, growing obesity rates are a worldwide problem. It is a particular problem here in the UAE. In the past, most Emiratis lived a tougher, more nomadic existence, involving hard travel and physical labour. Today most live a softer, more sedentary life, travelling by car and holding desk jobs requiring little physical exertion. That these jobs exist is due to the rapid economic expansion over the past 40 years, since the discovery and exploitation of oil. In addition, many people today entertain themselves by watching TV or playing computer games, neither of which involves physical exercise. Even when they leave home, many Emiratis no longer walk; they drive everywhere and many seem to have an antipathy towards leaving their cars: for example, parking outside shops and tooting for service seems to be a local pastime. Finally, as well as traditional Arab cuisine, itself often quite high in fat and sugar content, there is today the widespread temptation and easy availability of high-fat and high-sugar fast food. McDonalds, KFC, Dunkin' Donuts,and various pizza chains are ubiquitous throughout the UAE. As a consequence, the UAE had the highest rate of diabetes in the world in 2007, with 19.5% of the population aged 20-79 affected ( The Economist, Pocket World in Figures, 2009, p. 84), with 17.1% of total male population and 31.4% of female population clinically obese, meaning a body mass index of over 30 (The Economist, Pocket World in Figures, 2009, p.87).

Suzanne Trease, Chair of the Department of Health & Physical Education at Dubai Women's College, blames a sedentary lifestyle for the rise of obesity in the UAE. "A lot of them [students] have things done for them," she said. Trease said that from observation, physical activity is not typically part of the Emirati culture and is therefore not instilled in children by parents. "If we start here with these ladies, hopefully the next generation will incorporate physical activity into their lifestyle." She added: "Physical activity is not encouraged for women here." She said she has observed that PE is not part of girls' development, and this is evident in their weak motor skills. "Basic motor and coordination skills are not there and if they are, they're not refined." Trease stressed the urgency of incorporating healthy living into UAE's lifestyle. "It's imperative we educate this generation and those to come, about healthy living because if we don't, life expectancy will grow even shorter. If you can walk moderately for 30 minutes a day and keep your heart rate above 130 beats per minute, that's a great start. (Naidoo & Moussly, Gulf News 2009).

The solutions? The only viable long-term solution is education. At an early age, children should be taught the importance of two things: a healthy diet and regular physical exercise. A better diet involves not just choosing healthier ingredients, such as fruit and vegetables. Sauces and style of cooking need to be watched. A healthy salad becomes a less healthy option if coated in, say, mayonnaise. Fish and potatoes are themselves good nutritious foods, but less so if fried as fish and chips. Governments around the world can help by encouraging schools to teach nutrition seriously. Campaigns in the media to educate all sections of the population, especially parents, to eat healthily, can also help. Cars, TVs and computers are not going to disappear so the only viable solution is education to encourage better diet and more physical exercise.

768 words

Bibliography:

The Economist, Pocket World in Figures, 2009, Profile Books, London, 2009.

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/health/7151813.stm

Naidoo, Amelia, and Rania Moussly. "Youth Obesity: the UAE's Big Problem." Gulf News [Dubai] 13 Dec. 2009. Print.

Summary 1

Child car seats

It’s in your hands

The article says that child seats in cars save lives. In the UAE, traffic injuries cause most childhood fatalities but they are preventable. The shocking statistics, from Health Authority - Abu Dhabi (HAAD), are that 98% of children here do not travel in child safety seats. 23% of children travel frequently and illegally in the front seat, 96% of them unrestrained. In 46% of all countries the use of child safety restraints is mandatory by national law but, among GCC countries, only in Saudi Arabia.

83% of belted and restrained children remain uninjured in accidents. So Chevrolet, a division of General Motors, is launching in initiative to raise awareness of infant car safety across the UAE. Chevrolet is working with HAAD, Dubai Health Authority, Sharjah Medical District and the child injury prevention agency Safe Kids Worldwide, to train maternity nurses in car safety across three hospitals in the UAE. It will also donate 1,500 premium Maxi-Cosi child car seats to parents of new-born babies. The basic idea is that if parents take home their babies strapped in a child seat they are more likely to continue to strap them in throughout childhood. The article concludes with advice on which car seat best suits the size and age of your child.

Thekkepat, Shiva Kumar. "It’s in Your Hands." Gulf News Friday Magazine 25 Feb. 2011: 14-19

205 words.

Narrative essay

A Journey from Brunei to Sarawak

Thirty years ago, Hedley, with his wife Mary and daughter Katie,
visited the Niah Caves in Sarawak, East Malaysia. They travelled
by car , large ferry , and small boat .

They set off from Bandar Seri Begawan, the capital of Brunei and
drove to the border with Sarawak. They crossed two large rivers by
ferry, stopped in Miri for lunch and then continued to Niah,
a small rivertownship. Then they hired a small boat and sailed
upriver to agovernment rest house, where they stayed the night.
They ate dinner with the small group of scientists who lived in the
rest house and shared the cold drinks they had brought with them
in a cool box. It was a remotespot, deep in the jungle. They slept in
bunk beds with no airconditioning. It was a novel experience.

The next morning, they walked along a jungle path for half an hour
until they reached the Niah caves. Inside the caves, which were very
high, they saw men who climbed up tall bamboo poles. The men had
lights on their hats because it was so dark. At the top of the poles they
scraped off birds’ nests from the roof of the caves. The nests were
collected by their mates on the cave floor and put into sacks. These
nests were later sold and made into bird’s nest soup, a Chinese delicacy.

That afternoon, they said goodbye to their new-found friends
in the rest house and departed on the long drive home.
It was quite an adventure and one they would never forget.


266 words