The Campaign Company is to start working in Abu Dhabi on Public Health and social marketing campaigns. Nobody would have believed you 50 years ago if you had said that by 2008 the so called "diseases of affluence" would have become the major the health challenges facing the United Arab Emirates.With annual growth rates of 16%,it is now one of the richest countries in the world. And it's all down to oil,the wealth this has brought and the subsequent changes in lifestyle that have ensued for many sections of the population. The prevalence of Diabetes mellitus is probably the highest in the world-24% among locals and 17% among non local. Cardiovascular disease accounted for 22% of deaths in 2006 -Smoking,diet and obesity and lack of exercise, all play their part.The emphasis of health care must shift from the curative to the preventative.
But it's not just chronic disease that's killing the population. The second cause of preventable death in the UAE is road traffic accidents-1056 in 2007. Legislation and design of safer roads can help but essentially it comes down to changing behaviour. And this is where we can help.Along with a range of international partners we have formed a collaboration under the umbrella of the Emirates Institute for Health and Safety.We will be reporting on our campaigns on this blog.
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