Dubai has launched its second weight-loss for gold competition.
More than 1,300 people lined up last week to enter a weight loss contest in Dubai. The competition, called “Your Child in Gold”, awards families two grams of gold for every kilo lost and follows last year’s “Your Weight in Gold” initiative.
This year parents can register with their children to help combat early obesity and to encourage healthy lifestyles within families. Families will receive two grams of gold for every kilo lost, which is double the reward for individual entrants. Last year’s winner was a Syrian who lost 26 kgs in roughly three weeks, and won gold worth Dh10,000 (€2,000).
In 2013 more than 9,600 people signed-up for the challenge, and over Dh2.8 million worth of gold was handed out. This year the Dubai Health Authority (DHA) expects more than 15,000 entrants, with more than 9,200 already registered online.
Reported by Gulf News, many families who turned up to register were turned away as their children were not deemed to be overweight, with some even classed as underweight.
“Children must get medical advice from the nutritionists on sites prior to registering for the contest in order to confirm their fitness to participate,” said Waleed Al Shaibani, head of the Dubai Municipality Club and the campaign’s coordinator.
Parents are allowed to register a maximum of two children under 13 years old. Competitors are weighed in registration tents set up in five different locations. The final weigh-in is after September 1, when the campaign ends.
Obesity is a major problem in the United Arab Emirates with around 60 percent of Emiratis classed as overweight. In a country where temperatures can top 50ºC outdoor activities are limited, and leisure time is often spent at home or in malls. This, coupled with the fact that the majority of people drive even short distances, it’s not surprising many people are overweight.
“Obesity leads to many other diseases, like hypertension and diabetes. It’s a lifestyle disease and a problem all over the world. In rich countries like the UAE, people use cars; they don’t walk, don’t exercise enough,” Munir Hamad, a doctor in Dubai said to Gulf News.
“We need to raise awareness. If we can give awareness to families now, especially children, it means less disease in the future.”