(MENAFN- Khaleej Times) Score 65 out of 100 in country?s first health index
a considerable number of uae residents think healthy but act unhealthy according to the results of the country’s first health index which pegs the average health score of residents here at 65 out of 100. the overall results which were released on tuesday revealed that residents have a low emotional wellbeing depicting a high amount of stress in everyday life.
physical fitness results did not come as a surprise showing that 52 per cent of uae residents are overweight or obese 35 per cent exercise less than once a week 21 per cent smoke and only six per cent eat five or more portions of fruit and vegetables a day.
the health index was launched by nmc healthcare group after 1000 people responded to an online survey carried out by brunswick insight. the 13-question survey was carried out over a period of two months in 2013.
health officials said that the index is a barometer of the health and well being of the people in the uae. it is standardised on a 0-100 scale with the ideal health and well being score of 100.
people from the indian subcontinent got a health score of 69 emiratis scored 68 filipinos 64 while arab expats scored lowest at 60.
dr ravi arora specialist in internal medicine at nmc specialty hospital abu dhabi said “there is a disconnect between what people think and what the reality is. to close the gap behaviour changes are needed.”
the index is comprised of three sub-indices that measure physical social and emotional health of an individual.
the survey showed that 35 per cent of the population exercise less than once per week. one in five smoke tobacco of whom a quarter smoke a pack a day. it also shows that more than half have a bmi (body mass index) in the overweight or obese range.
half of those questioned made less than five hours a week available for leisure activities and only around half said they got the recommended seven to eight hours of sleep every night. “mena region has the second highest rate of obesity in the world after the americas” said dr arora. “there are a number of issues as to why people are not utilising resources to fight obesity such as lack of insurance coverage and sometimes hesitance.”
dr br shetty founder and chief executive officer of nmc healthcare said: “these findings will surprise many people. uae residents generally perceive themselves to be healthier than they actually are. even though as we would expect most respondents said that having a healthy and active lifestyle was important to them these results show there is a lot that can be done to improve actual wellness and well-being of uae residents.”
about 76 per cent of respondents said they felt anxious worried or upset sometime in the past month.
the survey also highlights the fact that over three quarters of those questioned considered the uae healthcare system better than in other countries though over half still said that they would want to travel abroad for a planned operation.
“globally health indices help evaluate the quality of life over time and when done right these indices help correlate to health and safety policies and programmes” said marwan abedin ceo of dubai healthcare city. “in the uae health providers policy makers and stakeholders are working together to improve the nation’s health and safety. a health index can potentially be an indicator to correct unhealthy behaviours and assess programmes that need improvement. whether the goal is to prevent illnesses or to reduce absenteeism in schools there should be an evaluation tool. in this the nmc health index is well placed.
residents can calculate their own health score on the website www.healthindex.ae
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