Health matters

Contrary to popular belief, professionals in the UAE are conscious of their health, exercise daily and watch what they eat, according to a new survey. The Bayt.com survey shows 53 per cent of the UAE residents surveyed consider their eating habits to be ‘moderately healthy’, while  25 per cent think they eat ‘very healthy’; 21.5 per cent admit their eating habits are unhealthy Online data for the ‘MENA Professionals Health and Eating Habits’ poll was collected from January 30 to February 27, and covered 13,713 respondents from 12 countries. It also factored in responses from 802 participants in the UAE in the 22 to 55 age group. Again, a majority of the UAE respondents scored well in their daily fitness regimen with 41 per cent saying they exercise frequently, followed by 34 per cent who said they work out occasionally. The remaining 25 per cent said that they do not sweat it out at all. The top three exercise options among UAE residents are walking (56 per cent), running (12.5) and lifting weights (6.5 per cent). “There is a common misconception that the life of a professional is sedentary and unhealthy, however our poll demonstrates that the vast majority of people in the MENA region are aware of what constitutes a healthy lifestyle and claim to adhere to one,” said Suhail Masri, Vice President of Product, Bayt.com. Vegetables are a good way to stay in shape and if the survey is to be believed 46.5 % of respondents in the UAE said they eat greens daily in moderate quantities, and 23.3 per cent eat plenty of vegetables. Only 1.4 per cent said they never consume vegetables. ‘‘Regarding their fruit intake, the majority of the respondents from the UAE (40%) said that they have fruits occasionally, followed by 36.7% who said that they have fruits on a daily basis in moderate quantities. About 13.3 %  said that they have plenty of fruits every day, and on the other end of the curve, 10 %  of UAE residents said that they never include fruits in their diet,’’ said Masri. Overall, in the MENA region, only 31.7 % of respondents said their eating habits are unhealthy. According to World Health Organisation estimates, globally there are 1.6 billion adults who are overweight and at least 400 million are obese. That number is expected to grow to a huge 2.3 billion, and obesity levels will reach 700 million by 2015.