A health and nutrition survey to be introduced across the UAE promises to take the nation’s pulse to assess where healthy living campaigns are required.
About 20,000 families and 2,000 labourers across the country will be visited and asked to complete a questionnaire to gauge their knowledge about health and nutrition, while health practitioners will also complete blood tests on those agreeing to take part.
The target demographic includes adults over 18, women aged 15 to 49, pregnant women and children aged from one to 17 years old.
Under a multipronged approach, health authorities will join analysts at Dubai Data and Statistics and the Federal Competitiveness and Statistics Centre to assess the information once collected.
“This project will be an important milestone for us, to estimate our health indicators to see how they are comparable with other countries,” said Dr Hussain Abdul Rahman Al Rand, Assistant Undersecretary for the Public Health Sector at the Ministry of Health and Prevention.
“And from this national survey, all the indicators will play an important role in the planning and decision-making towards putting a strategy in place for the whole of the UAE.
“This will then be reported to the World Health Organisation.”
Results
A previous national health survey polled 9,400 Emiratis and residents across a five-year period to gauge changing patterns.
The limited survey published in 2019 showed a drop in percentage rates for diabetes, obesity and smoking, but also found more adults had hypertension, which can be a pre-cursor to cardiovascular disease and heart problems.
It is hoped this latest national survey can be a bellwether for potential demands on health services in the years ahead, so authorities can plan accordingly and work on prevention measures.
All questionnaires and data-gathering techniques are approved to international standards and by the World Health Organisation.
Collection data in the health survey will include socioeconomic indicators, family health expenditure, prevalence of non-communicable diseases and risk factors (STEPS) as well as biophysical metrics to show physiological changes over time.
Household checks
Households will be asked about their access to health care and how often it is used, their exposure to air pollution and the affects on their health.
Each surveyor will have an ID and an official signed letter from the government entities when visiting households.
“Today's economy depends on the type of foods people are consuming and their impact on health,” said Mohamed Hassan, of the Federal Competitiveness and Statistics Centre.
“With this knowledge, certain policies can be taken based on the results of the survey, so it's very important for us to see the results in order to decide on the right policy.
“For example, we have seen a tobacco tax and sugar tax on drinks introduced based on the previous survey results.”
The nutritional survey, meanwhile, will look at any micronutrient deficiencies such as zinc or vitamins A and D, dietary intake and child development indicators such as stunting, wasting, or obesity in children aged up to five.
Sodium and iodine levels will be tested in the urine of those taking part, as well as salt intake, while pregnant women will be checked for anaemia.
The survey aims to collect reliable field information to test the UAE’s health landscape to update national figures and population food database.
Surveys will be conducted in four languages – Arabic, English, Hindi and Urdu – with the aim to poll 40 per cent Emiratis and 60 per cent expatriates.
“We want to ask the question why one community may have a healthy lifestyle, but another one may not,” said Khalid Al Jallaf, director of the research, studies and data analysis department at Dubai Health Authority.
“The results will allows us to concentrate more on the health education material in that community and the language that is needed.
“It will allow health providers to work harder on educating people about living a healthy life and help us to plan for a better future.”
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- A new “core protection” for refugees moving from permanent to a more basic, temporary protection
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- Under core protection there will be no automatic right to family reunion
- Refugees will have a reduced right to public funds
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Date started: February 2017
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What should do investors do now?
What does the S&P 500's new all-time high mean for the average investor?
Should I be euphoric?
No. It's fine to be pleased about hearty returns on your investments. But it's not a good idea to tie your emotions closely to the ups and downs of the stock market. You'll get tired fast. This market moment comes on the heels of last year's nosedive. And it's not the first or last time the stock market will make a dramatic move.
So what happened?
It's more about what happened last year. Many of the concerns that triggered that plunge towards the end of last have largely been quelled. The US and China are slowly moving toward a trade agreement. The Federal Reserve has indicated it likely will not raise rates at all in 2019 after seven recent increases. And those changes, along with some strong earnings reports and broader healthy economic indicators, have fueled some optimism in stock markets.
"The panic in the fourth quarter was based mostly on fears," says Brent Schutte, chief investment strategist for Northwestern Mutual Wealth Management Company. "The fundamentals have mostly held up, while the fears have gone away and the fears were based mostly on emotion."
Should I buy? Should I sell?
Maybe. It depends on what your long-term investment plan is. The best advice is usually the same no matter the day — determine your financial goals, make a plan to reach them and stick to it.
"I would encourage (investors) not to overreact to highs, just as I would encourage them not to overreact to the lows of December," Mr Schutte says.
All the same, there are some situations in which you should consider taking action. If you think you can't live through another low like last year, the time to get out is now. If the balance of assets in your portfolio is out of whack thanks to the rise of the stock market, make adjustments. And if you need your money in the next five to 10 years, it shouldn't be in stocks anyhow. But for most people, it's also a good time to just leave things be.
Resist the urge to abandon the diversification of your portfolio, Mr Schutte cautions. It may be tempting to shed other investments that aren't performing as well, such as some international stocks, but diversification is designed to help steady your performance over time.
Will the rally last?
No one knows for sure. But David Bailin, chief investment officer at Citi Private Bank, expects the US market could move up 5 per cent to 7 per cent more over the next nine to 12 months, provided the Fed doesn't raise rates and earnings growth exceeds current expectations. We are in a late cycle market, a period when US equities have historically done very well, but volatility also rises, he says.
"This phase can last six months to several years, but it's important clients remain invested and not try to prematurely position for a contraction of the market," Mr Bailin says. "Doing so would risk missing out on important portfolio returns."
Mohammed bin Zayed Majlis
