Abu Dhabi's Healthy Living Strategy Launches Over 20 Initiatives To Enhance Community Health And Wellbeing

Abu Dhabi has launched a Healthy Living Strategy to enhance the health and wellbeing of its community. This initiative, led by the Department of Health – Abu Dhabi, aims to help residents live longer and healthier lives. The strategy focuses on preventing non-communicable diseases like obesity, diabetes, heart disease, and cancer through a collaborative approach involving government, private sectors, communities, and individuals.

The strategy's initial phase will concentrate on three main areas: promoting physical activity, improving diet and nutrition, and increasing awareness about health. Other important factors include sleep and mental wellbeing. These priorities will be supported by improved infrastructure, policies, regulations, programmes, and daily life prompts that encourage healthier choices.

Mansoor Ibrahim Al Mansoori, Chairman of the Department of Health – Abu Dhabi, emphasised the importance of lifestyle choices in health: "Health begins long before we step into a doctor’s clinic; it is shaped by what we eat, how we move, and the environment we live in. Moving more and eating well must become priorities that define how we live, learn, and work."

The strategy is designed to foster behaviour change by making healthy living more accessible. It integrates prevention into daily routines while using digital intelligence to identify high-risk groups for targeted interventions. This approach aims to make healthier living sustainable for everyone in Abu Dhabi.

Dr. Ahmed AlKhazraji, Executive Director of Healthy Living who is implementing the strategy stated: "Our mission is clear: to make healthy living the easy choice for every citizen and resident in Abu Dhabi. Health is not one-size-fits-all." The strategy uses behavioural science to focus on areas with the greatest need.

Across Abu Dhabi, numerous initiatives are already promoting healthier lifestyles. The new strategy seeks to unify these efforts to maximise their impact. By aligning resources from both government and private sectors towards active infrastructure and nutritious food access, it aims to enhance health awareness significantly.

Over 20 initiatives have been approved under this strategy for implementation by various government entities and private sector partners within the next year. This cross-sector collaboration is expected to drive significant improvements in public health across the emirate.

The Healthy Living Strategy represents a long-term commitment to building a healthier Abu Dhabi by uniting different sectors in addressing key health challenges effectively.

With inputs from WAM