Dubai promises gold award to fight against obesity

The Dubai government has launched a "lose weight - win gold" campaign to fight overweight and obesity, which has reached epidemic levels in the emirate, local media reported on Sunday. Dubbed "Your Weight in Gold", the initiative was announced by Director General of Dubai Municipality, Hussain Nasser Lootah, in late July with the aim of promoting healthy living in the state city. "The winners will get 2 g of gold if they lose at least 2 kg of weight," Lootah promised. In addition, the three participants who lose the most weight may get a gold coin equivalent to 20,000 Dirham (5,454 U.S. dollars) through a lucky draw. Hundreds of residents have flocked to sign up for the challenge. According to a study conducted by the United Arab Emirates' Ministry of Health, almost 19 percent of males and 12 percent of females in the kingdom are overweight, while about 21.5 and 19.5 percent of males and females respectively are found to be obese. Obesity is a general problem in oil-rich Gulf States where people increasingly depend on fast-food diets.