In the United Arab Emirates, nearly 33% of the population suffers fromobesity : the disease therefore concerns all the same 3 million people. A situation which is far from exceptional in the Persian Gulf: in Saudi Arabia, 35% of the inhabitants have a BMI greater than 30 and in Kuwait, more than a quarter of the population is a victim of this disease. (Source: Government Office for Science)
Faced with the scale of the problem, the Emirate of Dubai decided to react by launching a vast campaign intended to fight more particularly against thechildhood obesity. Just the name announces the color: “Your weight is worth gold”.
The regime that pays
The principle ? Parents who want to involve their child in the operation must first register with the authorities. Then the children will have 1.5 months to lose at least 2kg. And for each additional kilogram eliminated, the emirate undertakes to offer them a 1 gram of gold. In summary, for a weight loss of 5kg, the toddler will be enriched with 3 grams of gold, or about 90 euros …
Bonus: for Dubaiotes who decide to lose weight with their family, the earnings will be doubled. Thus, for a loss of 5 kilos (per person), the reward will be 6 grams of gold, or about 180 euros.
“Ramadan is the most appropriate time to launch such an initiative, as this month reminds us of the many health benefits of losing weight, and pushes us to take strong action to change our bad habits, ”explained Hussain Nasser Lootah, the Director General of the Municipality of Dubai.
“Childhood obesity is a big dilemma facing many countries, especially because of the dependence of the younger generations on new technologies. We must protect this growing generation from the negative effects of technology by encouraging them. to follow a healthy lifestyle and by teaching their parents to raise a healthy generation “he added, moreover.
Is it really reasonable to replace addiction to new technologies with the lure of profit? We discuss it on the forum.
