Philips supports new healthy approach in Dubai schools
ROYAL PHILIPS ELECTRONICS fully supports the Dubai Municipality (DM) initiative, in association with the Dubai Health Authority (DHA), to adapt the guidelines on the types of food that are permitted to be sold and/or distributed in school canteens. Philips shares the concerns of the Dubai government over the growing rates of obesity and lifestyle- related diseases in children and teenagers in the emirate, and therefore strongly supports DM’s decision to ban items such as soft-drinks, candies and potato chips from school property. Only food that is considered healthy and nutritious such wholegrain breads, green vegetables, fruit, low-fat dairy products and lean, skinless meats will now be allowed for student
consumption during school hours. Over the last few years, Philips has
invested research and resources into tackling the growing problems of obesity and diabetes, leading to cardiac diseases in the Gulf Cooperation Council. In 2010, The Philips Center for Health and Well-being released its ‘UAE Health and Well-being Report,’ which showed alarming trends not only in the rising numbers of overweight and obese people, but also in the lack of realization that this posed a significant threat to overall health. For example, while only 25% of men and 28% of women in the UAE consider themselves overweight, figures from the World Health Organization (WHO) show that in actuality 67% of men and 72% of women are overweight. Other
Image © Philips
numbers show that only 32% are concerned about being obese, 16% are concerned about high cholesterol, and merely 13% are concerned about high sugar and diabetes, while the actual percentage of children who are obese range in different regional studies from 40-50%. One of the primary conclusions of
the Philips Health and Well-being report was that there was a decided lack of knowledge in the country about what steps can be taken to tackle weight gain and weight management problems. This is one area where Philips believes DM’s new school policy will be extremely beneficial, in that it will give students and parents a concrete example of what can be done to develop and foster proper dietary habits. Another area where it will be beneficial is in the immediate impact the program can potentially have on the health of the current generation of UAE students. “At Philips, it is our mission to
significantly improve the health and well- being of people all around the world through both our support of health-related programs and product development initiatives,” said Mrs. Harjit Gill - Chairman of Philips Middle East. “Consumer products from Philips are both environmentally friendly and health conscious, such as the Airfryer, which uses patended Rapid Air technology to fry foods using up to 80% less fat than a conventional fryer. We’ve also introduced the DirectLife, which is a small device with a step-by-step program that tracks how much a person moves everyday and makes suggestions on how to increase ones daily activity levels at their own pace. Another example is the AVENT brand of baby feeding products’ recent launch of the combined steamer and blender, where you can easily prepare healthy homemade baby food.” Philips will also continue its efforts to
promote physical exercise as another vital component of a healthy lifestyle, and will encourage school-aged children to include sports in their daily routines. ■
AH 10
www.lifesciencesmagazines.com
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