The month-long Family Health Festival program will comprise a series of workshops, edutainment activities, free health check-ups and counselling by medical experts and will run from January 28-February 28, 2010.
“Public awareness is vital for promoting good health and the inaugural Family Health Festival proved to be a very fruitful exercise in extending information about a host of common, yet dangerous health conditions,” said Mr. Naser Al Budoor, Director of Ministry of Health.
“The second edition of this event will continue on a focused theme and will go a long way in supporting the nation’s health agenda,” he added.
“In a scenario where nearly one out of every five individual is obese, it becomes imperative to address the issue urgently. Obesity affects not just physical health, but also the psychological well-being of person,” he said. An exercise such as this will emphasize effectively what DSF stands for – hope and celebration,” he added.
Obesity and its impact on wellness is the focal topic of this year’s Family Health Festival. Various consequences of the condition, such diabetes, hypertension, depression etc; will be highlighted through individually themed weeks, which will run across select malls participating in DSF 2010. Entertainment tools, including cartoon skits and street plays, will be used to educate shoppers, while individual counselling from health experts and medical checks, such as blood sugar and blood pressure assessments, will provide valuable indicators of the current health standing of those who participate.
Obesity is on the rise, fuelled by inappropriate eating habits coupled with sedentary and stressful lifestyles,” said Dr. Prem Jagyasi, MD and CEO, ExHealth, the organisation behind the Family Health Festival. “The condition of being excessively overweight leads to unhealthiness in individuals, which ultimately affects the overall well-being of a nation. The Family Health Festival has been designed to bring together residents, authorities, healthcare providers and responsible corporate organisations to address this pressing health issue and help usher in a new era of national prosperity,” he added.
A month-long weight loss contest, titled �Cut That Fat’ will be the highlight of this year’s campaign. A panel of weight-loss experts will guide fifteen selected individuals through a specially designed program to help them lose their extra kilos and gain a better overall physique.
Conceived by ExHealth, an organisation dedicated to providing exceptional healthcare solutions, the Family Health Festival comes close on the heels of a series of successful community outreach health based programs; such as Know Diabetes, Ahlaan Ramadan Summer Health Festival, and No Tobacco Campaign. All of these initiatives have been enthusiastically received by residents of the UAE and endorsed by the Ministry of Health and other government authorities.