Recipe for good health helps youths win prize
dubai — Twenty-one-year-old Indian national and UAE resident Rasli Marwa’s recipe for good health is simple. “I think young people in the UAE indulge in a lot of unhealthy eating habits. To grow into a healthy adult, you must start practising eating healthy from a very young age,” Rasli told Khaleej Times.
The recipient for the first prize in the photography category of the ‘Art for Health 2018’ competition hosted by the Ministry of Health and Prevention (Mohap), Marwa bagged a whopping Dh50,000 for her entry titled ‘Can we unbreathe?’ at the prize distribution ceremony last week.
The competition, which was an- nounced in January, used art as a tool to spread the message of a healthy lifestyle. Open to all youth across the country, the competition focused on three national agenda indicators. Tackling obesity in children aged 15-17, reducing the incidence of diabetes in the country, and reducing mortality rates caused by cardiovascular diseases.
The top three winners of film and animation categories each won Dh100,000, Dh80,000 and Dh50,000, respectively. Meanwhile, the top three winners of painting and photography categories bagged Dh50,000, Dh30,000 and Dh20,000, respectively.
Speaking about what inspired her winning picture idea, Rasli said, she attempted to incorporate all three indicators in the picture. “Caffeine, unhealthy eating habits, and obesity do contribute heavily towards cardiovascular diseases,
Rasli Marwa receives prize for her photography from Dr Hussain Abdul Rahman Al Rand. —
Supplied photo especially among the younger generation. In my picture, the green broccoli represents good health and the dark decayed matter is tea, which represents caffeine.”
While congratulating the winners of the competition, Dr Hussain Abdul Rahman Al Rand, assistant undersecretary for Health Centres and Clinics said: “Art is being used as a new form of communication to convey the ministry’s messages aimed at improving the health of present as well as future generations.”
He added: “The goal is to enable the country’s residents to achieve a healthy and long life with access to exceptional health care.” He explained that the award comes in line with the UAE’s commitment to the 2030 Sustainable Development Agenda and achieving excellence in implementation by ensuring that everyone enjoys a healthy lifestyle and well-being.
Dr Fadila Sherif, director of health education and promotion department at Mohap, said: “Art for Health award included four categories. The best three posts were selected in each category and the results were announced.”
UAE-resident Ahmed Khattab won first place for the film category. He said: “The film tells the story of a character representing a large segment of the society and its abundance in the three main meals — fat and calories. Especially in fast food, it is a hidden killer infiltrating our daily meals.” Animation category winner is Abdallah Shanaa and painting category winner is Nemar Sencil.