Mode of travel and the decision to allow children to walk or bike to schools—The Abu Dhabi experience

Badri, Masood; Ustadi, Abdulla M.; Pierson, Lynne; Dramaki, Mubarak Al

doi:10.4236/ojpm.2012.24071

Cited by 5 publications

(5 citation statements)

References 63 publications

(137 reference statements)

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“…In a study investigating travel to school, in Abu Dhabi, UAE, far fewer children are cycling or walking to school. On the contrary, the majority are being driven to school by car [20]. Absence of active travel culture in the community is seen as a significant contributory factor.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Is There a Correlation between Body Weight and Awareness of Healthy Life Style Components in Children?

Deeb¹,

Suliman²,

Tomy³

et al. 2015

OJPed

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Background: Incidence of obesity in children is increasing worldwide. Healthy eating and exercise are the major components of a healthy life style in the community. Objective: we aim to assess the knowledge of healthy eating and exercise in children of varying weight and to explore the correlation between knowledge and bodyweight. Method: School children are invited to fill in a 2 questions quiz about healthy life style. BMI is calculated and children are classified into obese, overweight, normal and underweight. Answers are scored and results compared for different categories of the BMI. Results: 445 children participated. Age range (mean) was 7 -13 (10) years. 67 were obese, 59 overweight, 237 normal weight and 34 were underweight. In the food question, 22%, 20%, 23% 15% of obese, overweight, underweight and normal weight children respectively gave wrong answers compared to 17.5%, 15% and 14.7%, 13.3% for the exercise question. Neither of the results was statistically significant. Boys are more knowledgeable about exercise than girls (P = 0.03). Conclusion: There is no difference in the level of knowledge about healthy eating and exercise among children with varying body weights. Tackling children behavior and attitude towards food and exercise is as important as improving their knowledge.

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Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Is There a Correlation between Body Weight and Awareness of Healthy Life Style Components in Children?

Deeb¹,

Suliman²,

Tomy³

et al. 2015

OJPed

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show abstract

“…Various environmental/culturalissueshave contributed to reduced children activity. In a study investigating travel to school, in Abu Dhabi, it was found that children in the UAE are increasingly using cars for their short travels compared to earlier periods of time and far fewer children are cycling or walking to school [22]. Absence of active travel culture in the community is seen as a significant contributory factor.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Energy Intake, Dietary Habits and Life Style in Obese School Children with Dyslipidemia in the UAE

Deeb¹

2015

Int Arch Endocrinol Clin Res

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Background: The incidence of obesity in children is increasing. In the United Arab Emirates (UAE), childhood overweight and obesity reached up to 25% of the population. In addition, UAE has become one of the highest countries in the prevalence of type 2 diabetes. Various forms of life style behavior and dietary habits have contributed to obesity and the development of the metabolic syndrome. We aim to study energy intake, dietary habits and life style behavior in obese children with dyslipidemia in the UAE and to examine the extent of metabolic syndrome components in their first degree relatives. Patient & method: School children referred to obesity clinic at our center whose BMI centile above the 97 th and diagnosed with dyslipidemia were approached to enroll in the study. Clinical and dietetic assessment were performed through a diet recall of food intake, consumption of fruits and vegetable, recording of family history of metabolic syndrome components, frequency of exercise, screen watching and breakfast skipping. Results: 63 children were enrolled in the study. Median age (range) was 10 (5-16) years. All children had at least one abnormal variable of dyslipidemia. 51(91%) had a high total cholesterol to HDL ratio, 16 (46%) had high LDL, 9 (16%) had low HDL, 6 (10%) had high triglyceride and 5 (9%) had high total cholesterol. Family history in a parent or a sibling was positive in 46 for obesity, 30 for dyslipidemia, 16 for type 2 diabetes and 27 for cardiovascular disease. There was a statistically-significant difference between the estimated and the recommended calorie intake in both genders. None of the children studied complied with the recommended intake of fruits and vegetables. 45 children (80%) did not take breakfast regularly. All consumed high calorie drink on daily basis and only 4 patients (7%) exercised in compliance with guidelines. Conclusion: Obese children with dyslipidemia consume higher calories than recommended and a poor quality diet. They adopt unhealthy life style and have a strong family history of the metabolic syndrome components. Early intervention is required to prevent the likely cardiovascular disease and type 2 diabetes in the future.

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“…In Abu Dhabi, the main concern is over the policies surrounding the built environment that make it hard to walk to school [41]. ADEK and ADPM may adopt transformative strategic options to promote active commuting to school as the primary mode of transportation.…”

Section: Implications For Built Environmentmentioning

confidence: 99%

Influence of the Built Environment on Physical Activity Choices among Emirati Male and Female Adolescents: An Examination of Parents’ and Students’ Perceptions

Maghelal¹,

Alawadi

Arlikatti³

et al. 2021

Sustainability

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The UN Human Development Report 2020 ranked the United Arab Emirates (UAE) as having achieved ‘very high human development’ and as being at the 31st position among all countries. Despite this, the ever increasing obesity rates among Emirati youth, higher than international standards, is alarming. This research aims at identifying how different perceptions of the built environment by parents and adolescents are likely to affect physical activity (PA) choices among male and female Emirati youth. This can help inform better health and education policies to achieve three of the interconnected UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), namely good quality health and well-being, quality education, and gender equality, that the UAE strives to achieve. Responses from 335 students (aged 14–20) from six schools and 250 parent responses in the Al Ain region of Abu Dhabi Emirate were used to understand the mean variation in perception of five built environment constructs. Further, multinomial logit regression was used to assess the health condition using the perception, behavior, and built environment measures. Results indicate that Emirati males perceive the built environment factors as barriers more than female adolescents. Parents perceive street crossing (p < 0.016) and sidewalk characteristics (p < 0.020) to be more of a hindrance. Traffic exposure, self-reported physical activity, and walkability near homes and schools significantly affect Emirati adolescents’ health conditions. Recommendations are made for various stakeholders including parents, school authorities, Abu Dhabi Municipality and Transportation, and the Urban Planning department on ways to enhance the built environment and encourage PA and well-being of Emirati adolescents.

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Mode of travel and the decision to allow children to walk or bike to schools—The Abu Dhabi experience

Cited by 5 publications

References 63 publications

Is There a Correlation between Body Weight and Awareness of Healthy Life Style Components in Children?

Is There a Correlation between Body Weight and Awareness of Healthy Life Style Components in Children?

Energy Intake, Dietary Habits and Life Style in Obese School Children with Dyslipidemia in the UAE

Influence of the Built Environment on Physical Activity Choices among Emirati Male and Female Adolescents: An Examination of Parents’ and Students’ Perceptions

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