More than half of the UAE population has a relative or friend with a heart condition, according to a new survey.
The study, commissioned by Cleveland Clinic Abu Dhabi, surveyed 1,010 people in the country.
Fifty-three per cent of the participants said they have a close friend or relative with the condition, while 12 per cent have received a personal diagnosis of heart disease.
Cardiovascular disease is the leading cause of death in the UAE and globally, but the condition can be prevented with regular exercise and a healthy diet.
It is vitally important that people visit a doctor, particularly if they are at higher risk
Dr Ronney Shantouf,
Cleveland Clinic Abu Dhabi
Of those asked, 53 per cent said they had not had their heart health checked in the past two years.
“These results make clear the tragic impact that heart disease has on our community,” said Dr Ronney Shantouf, a cardiologist at Cleveland Clinic Abu Dhabi.
“Each and every heart disease diagnosis ripples out from the patient to their family and friends, naturally causing a great deal of anguish for all concerned.
"It doesn’t have to be this way; most heart disease cases could be prevented and that is really the driving force behind our campaign for healthier hearts, together.”
Positive findings in the survey were a strong awareness of the risk factors for heart disease, with 78 per cent of respondents saying they were aware of the causes. While 77 per cent knew heart disease was preventable, almost one in three of those asked (30 per cent) had never had their heart checked by a doctor.
Physicians recommend more than 150 minutes of exercise a week to help prevent heart disease.
People over 45 were in the highest risk group of those surveyed, but 49 per cent had also not been to a doctor for a cardiac assessment for more than two years.
Women were also less likely to see a doctor for a heart problem than other ailments, with 35 per cent never visited a clinic for a cardiac check.
The most common risk factors reported by those surveyed were high blood pressure (46 per cent), stress (45 per cent), cholesterol (44 per cent) and lack of exercise (44 per cent).
In addition, obesity and diabetes, conditions closely linked to severe heart disease, were, respectively, reported to affect 35 per cent and 30 per cent of those surveyed.
“It is very concerning that despite the tremendous strain heart disease places on our community and the high level of awareness we see, people are still reluctant to visit the doctor and take steps to prevent it,” Dr Shantouf said.
“It is vitally important that people visit a doctor, particularly if they are at higher risk.
“A proper cardiac evaluation along with some simple, heart healthy lifestyle changes could not only prevent a great deal of pain and anguish for yourselves, but your friends and family.”
Foods that affect your life span – in pictures
Why it pays to compare
A comparison of sending Dh20,000 from the UAE using two different routes at the same time - the first direct from a UAE bank to a bank in Germany, and the second from the same UAE bank via an online platform to Germany - found key differences in cost and speed. The transfers were both initiated on January 30.
Route 1: bank transfer
The UAE bank charged Dh152.25 for the Dh20,000 transfer. On top of that, their exchange rate margin added a difference of around Dh415, compared with the mid-market rate.
Total cost: Dh567.25 - around 2.9 per cent of the total amount
Total received: €4,670.30
Route 2: online platform
The UAE bank’s charge for sending Dh20,000 to a UK dirham-denominated account was Dh2.10. The exchange rate margin cost was Dh60, plus a Dh12 fee.
Total cost: Dh74.10, around 0.4 per cent of the transaction
Total received: €4,756
The UAE bank transfer was far quicker – around two to three working days, while the online platform took around four to five days, but was considerably cheaper. In the online platform transfer, the funds were also exposed to currency risk during the period it took for them to arrive.
Conflict, drought, famine
Estimates of the number of deaths caused by the famine range from 400,000 to 1 million, according to a document prepared for the UK House of Lords in 2024.
It has been claimed that the policies of the Ethiopian government, which took control after deposing Emperor Haile Selassie in a military-led revolution in 1974, contributed to the scale of the famine.
Dr Miriam Bradley, senior lecturer in humanitarian studies at the University of Manchester, has argued that, by the early 1980s, “several government policies combined to cause, rather than prevent, a famine which lasted from 1983 to 1985. Mengistu’s government imposed Stalinist-model agricultural policies involving forced collectivisation and villagisation [relocation of communities into planned villages].
The West became aware of the catastrophe through a series of BBC News reports by journalist Michael Buerk in October 1984 describing a “biblical famine” and containing graphic images of thousands of people, including children, facing starvation.
Band Aid
Bob Geldof, singer with the Irish rock group The Boomtown Rats, formed Band Aid in response to the horrific images shown in the news broadcasts.
With Midge Ure of the band Ultravox, he wrote the hit charity single Do They Know it’s Christmas in December 1984, featuring a string of high-profile musicians.
Following the single’s success, the idea to stage a rock concert evolved.
Live Aid was a series of simultaneous concerts that took place at Wembley Stadium in London, John F Kennedy Stadium in Philadelphia, the US, and at various other venues across the world.
The combined event was broadcast to an estimated worldwide audience of 1.5 billion.
So what is Spicy Chickenjoy?
Just as McDonald’s has the Big Mac, Jollibee has Spicy Chickenjoy – a piece of fried chicken that’s crispy and spicy on the outside and comes with a side of spaghetti, all covered in tomato sauce and topped with sausage slices and ground beef. It sounds like a recipe that a child would come up with, but perhaps that’s the point – a flavourbomb combination of cheap comfort foods. Chickenjoy is Jollibee’s best-selling product in every country in which it has a presence.
Benefits of first-time home buyers' scheme
- Priority access to new homes from participating developers
- Discounts on sales price of off-plan units
- Flexible payment plans from developers
- Mortgages with better interest rates, faster approval times and reduced fees
- DLD registration fee can be paid through banks or credit cards at zero interest rates
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
