As
years pass by, our bodies, once so supple and slim during our young
age and youth, start accumulating excess fats from the foods we
consume. This is a normal process and there is really nothing to
worry about. However for some individuals, there is either something
wrong with their metabolism or they have periods of excessive mental
anxiety. Such people start accumulating large amounts of fats on
their bodies, become overweight and eventually obese. Once this stage
is reached, it is quite difficult to cut the flab and regain youthful
shape of the body. In India, most of the men tend to accumulate fats
on their tummies, whereas, women tend to gather fats around their
hips.
Their
are certain jobs where long periods of inactive waiting are involved.
Truck drivers, chauffeurs for cars, have such kind of duties. They
also tend to become obese. Many policemen in India are also obese. in
spite of leading a tough and hard life and it is a great worry for
the police force.
The
junk or fast food and sodas also contribute to obesity. People from
rich and affluent countries become easy pray to this excess fast food
and soda consumption, because of the easy availability of fast food
joints and excess cash in their own pockets. As per some statistics,
I found on net, 35.7 % Americans can be called as Obese. In India,
one of every three individuals is overweight, though not obese. The
situation is becoming similarly alarming world wide.
The
city state of Dubai is one such place. This desert city is incredibly
rich and is known for its sky scrapers, shopping malls and lavish
real estates. The fast food industry thrives here with American
chains like McDonald’s, Subway and KFC as well as a variety of
local quick-service restaurants doing very well. The wealth of the
people and availability of fast food is now getting reflected on
Dubai residents with over half of them overweight.
What
is true about Dubai is also true to some extent about this entire
region. According to a study conducted by Phillips Healthcare,
regional obesity rates rival that of the United States. In Saudi
Arabia, a recent survey found 66 percent of men and 71 percent of
women are overweight or obese, while in Kuwait 74 percent of men and
77 percent of women are also overweight or obese. In Abu Dhabi alone,
30% of schoolchildren are overweight or obese.
Back
to Dubai, the health authorities here are working to educate its
citizens on making healthier choices, with child-focused initiatives
on nutrition education. However, temptation of fast food and
luxurious western lifestyle is so great that this effort do not seem
to bear any fruit. In an effort to help people reduce weight, local
government officials recently announced a 30-day challenge in which
it promised to pay the participants a gram of gold for every kilogram
of weight lost.
In
other words, for every kilogram lost, the Government is ready to pay
almost 2700 Indian Rupees to anyone who participates in the
programme. The deadline to sign up for this was July 19, 2013. Dubai
official Hussain Lootah said that there is no limit on the golden
payout, but participants must lose at least two kilograms by August
16. Health care providers will be on hand to suggest healthy living
recommendations to the participants for the month-long challenge.
It
should be interesting to find out whether lure of Gold can prove
strong enough to make overweight residents give up their easy life
style, fast food and start exercising. Airlines, police forces world
over are known to threaten their overweight employees with
disincentives such as transfers to dull, back office jobs, unless
they reduce their flab. But this Dubai plan is probably the first
one, where gold is being offered as an initiative to reduce weight.
25
July 2013
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