RULES TO GET PRIVATE SCHOOLS INTO SHAPE

▶ Dubai Health Authority orders more exercise, fruit and vegetables for pupils, plus obesity screening

A new policy is demanding more physical exercise and less fast food in schools, as authorities in Dubai crack down on unhealthy eating in canteens.

The Dubai Health Authority yesterday outlined a plan for all private schools, focused on disease prevention and early detection, accurate health data and encouraging pupils to lead healthy lifestyles. It will launch 12 programmes to apply to private schools.

The move marks a significant shift for schools that have previously allowed pupils to eat anything they wish. It also follows long-standing complaints by the authority and doctors that not enough healthy food is offered to pupils.

The UAE has the 16th highest rate of diabetes in the world, with 38 per cent of type 2 diabetics likely to develop diabetic retinopathy, a sight-threatening eye condition.

Schools will have to show they are encouraging pupils to eat five portions of fruit and vegetables a day, and to increase physical education classes to 150 minutes a week.

Other rules include complying with immunisation, promoting good dental and optical health, and playing their part in an obesity early-detection programme.

Dr Manal Al Taryam, chief executive of primary health care at the authority, said the main target was children aged between 7 and 15 years old. Dr Al Taryam said the modern school should be a healthy environment “to protect children and bring out the best in them”.

“We designed this policy after carefully considering all these factors,” she said.

The authority said pupils’ health statistics would be logged into a database system to improve the way information about young people’s health was collected.

Dr Nahed Monsef, director of health affairs, said “a wider, five-year policy will be extremely comprehensive”.

Speaking to The National last year, Dr Shadi Tabba, a consultant paediatric endocrinologist at Dubai Diabetes Centre, said some of his young patients ate fast food every day.

“Change needs to happen across society. School is a part of that, but there are many factors,” Dr Tabba said. The need to instil good eating habits in school was crucial given some parents lacked awareness.

A study of preschool children in Al Ain, as The National reported this month, found toddlers had a poor diet and their parents knew little about healthy nutrition.

Dr Dana Al Tarrah, assistant professor at the faculty of public health at Kuwait University, which led the research in collaboration with UAE University and University College London, found children had a high intake of protein and carbohydrates – found in fast food such as burgers and crumbed chicken – but ate much less fibre.

“Most parents were unconcerned about the heaviness of a child and one noticeable trend was that plumpness was viewed as a sign of prosperity,” Dr Al Tarrah said.

Other regulations will include compliance with immunisation, plus promotion of better dental and optical health