More than 60% of people insured in the UAE are overweight, according to a study compiled by the Oman Insurance Company (OIC).
A lack of physical activity, poor diet and bad lifestyle choices are to be blamed for 62% of the insured population being overweight.
The research, which was assembled by LivFit team at OIC, analysed more than 3,200 responses as part of their free online risk assessment, which used a person’s body mass index (BMI) as the indicator. People with a BMI between 25 and 30 are considered overweight and the ones with a BMI of 30 and above are obese.
Interestingly, within the male population, 67% were overweight compared to 59% overweight females. The link between physical activity and weight was reflected through the analysis. While 19% of the people in the healthy weight group said they don’t exercise even for 2.5 hours in a week, the number rose to 27% for the overweight population.
Dr Yasser Khalifa, head of medical insurance at OIC said, “Our wellness programme LivFit motivates people to start making positive lifestyle changes like walking for 20 minutes every day, stop intake of carbonated drinks or taking the stairs from time to time.”
Knowing that a person is overweight is the first step to take charge of the health condition, the insurer said. Unfortunately, the majority of the overweight population is still unaware of their health condition as the survey revealed that only 20% of the overweight respondents have been diagnosed for this condition by the doctors. Being overweight is a major risk factor for cardiovascular diseases like stroke, diabetes and some cancers like kidney and breast, among others.
With studies indicating rising number of people entering the obese group, many organisations around the world continuously educate people on the impact of obesity on their health. The introduction of sin tax on soft drinks by the UAE government last year was a major step to discourage people from consuming excess sugar through these drinks, the insurer said.
In the OIC’s study, 43% of the overweight population felt good about themselves compared to 52% of the healthy people. Also, 62% of the overweight people said they are satisfied with their lives compared to 72% of the healthy population. The numbers look positive for the overweight people, but when seen in perspective of the healthy group, it points to the fact that being overweight can have an impact on self-image.
When asked if people are willing to change, 37% of the overweight group responded that they have already taken charge of their weight. Judging by the responses, people are keen to become healthier, but how many will actually take the necessary steps to do it. Commenting on this, Dr Yasser said, “One of the unique features of LivFit is the Star Program which is designed for obese people serious about losing weight. We have teamed up with two leading gyms in the UAE for the quality of their weight-loss programme, their expertise in nutrition and the dedication of their trainers. We reimburse a part of the programme cost if a member achieves the set goal.” M