A national plan to reduce chronic disease deaths by 30% within 4 years

The Ministry of Health and Community Protection announced the results of the National Health and Nutrition Survey 2024-2025, which targeted 20,000 families in the UAE, including 40% of citizens and 60% of residents, in addition to 2,000 individuals from workers’ housing. With the launch of the “Year of the Family,” the results provide a solid knowledge base to support integrated family health planning, across the various stages of life.

The Ministry revealed, during a press conference held yesterday at the Museum of the Future, that chronic diseases cause about 70% of total deaths, indicating that it aims to reduce this percentage by 30% by 2030, a goal that requires the cooperation and solidarity of all health and non-health agencies, at the governmental and private levels, in addition to strengthening community partnership.

The Ministry stated to “Emirates Today” that during the next phase, according to the results of the survey, it will begin implementing a package of innovative health programs, initiatives and preventive policies to support healthy lifestyles, and begin new regulatory measures aimed at reducing the level of salt in bread, by setting clear and binding requirements for bakeries that specify the permissible quantities, in coordination with all executive councils at the state level, in a way that contributes to reducing daily sodium consumption and reducing its health risks, most notably high blood pressure.

In detail, the Ministry revealed the results of the National Health and Nutrition Survey approved by the World Health Organization, in cooperation with the Federal Center for Competitiveness and Statistics, and federal and local authorities.

The Minister of Health and Community Protection, Ahmed bin Ali Al Sayegh, stressed that the results reflect the country’s approach to human-centered development, and the wise leadership’s keenness to make health, well-being and quality of life among its national priorities, saying: “These results provide a clear, evidence-based picture of population health trends, and confirm the importance of prevention, early intervention, and sustainable proactive planning, and also support the development process, in accordance with the directives of the wise leadership and the government’s priorities.”

Director of the Federal Center for Competitiveness and Statistics, Hanan Mansour Ahli, said: “The survey represents a national achievement based on the national confidence in data-based planning, whose value does not lie in the numbers themselves, but in the knowledge they generate, to understand the health and nutritional reality of society.”

The Director-General of the Dubai Health Authority, Dr. Alawi Al Sheikh Ali, said that the results of the survey were monitored and extracted based on the best practices and standards in force globally, and this will help in optimally employing the capabilities and capabilities possessed by the health sector in the country.

Health indicators

Statistical analysis of the survey results among adults (18 years and over) showed that the percentage of smokers among the participants was 8.7%, and that 59.1% do not engage in sufficient physical activity. It was also found that 22.4% of adults suffer from obesity, 25.9% have high blood pressure, 12.5% ​​have high blood sugar, and 54.2% have high cholesterol levels.

The results of the survey among individuals aged 18 to 69 years showed that 27.3% exceeded the recommended limits for sugar consumption, while 96.2% exceeded the recommended amounts for sodium consumption. 27.4% also reported drinking sugar-sweetened beverages daily, and the average fiber intake reached 23.1 grams per day, while 56.1% exceeded the recommended limits for fat consumption, and the average energy intake reached 2852.3 calories per day per person.

The results showed encouraging indicators of diet diversity, as 85.1% of women (15-49 years) achieved the minimum level of diet diversity, while the percentage reached 77.9% among children (six months to five years). The diet diversity index is measured based on the consumption of five approved food groups at least during the 24 hours preceding the survey.

Pediatric indicators

The survey showed that 16.1% of children (6-17 years) suffer from obesity, compared to 2.2% among children aged 0-5 years. The analysis adopted World Health Organization standards and used advanced statistical tools based on the growth index (Z-score) to measure overweight and obesity.

Vitamin D deficiency remains a health challenge, as it has been shown to affect 49.3% of adults (18 years and over), and 69.1% of children (6-17 years).

Regarding maternal health indicators, the results showed continued improvement in access to care, as 99.6% of women visited the doctor at least once during pregnancy, while the percentage of those who attended four or more prenatal care visits was 94.8%, reflecting a high level of utilization of pregnancy-related care services.

Translating results into initiatives

The Assistant Undersecretary for the Public Health Sector at the Ministry of Health and Community Protection, the general supervisor of the survey, Dr. Hussein Al-Rand, said that the results of the survey revealed important health indicators, most notably that about 96% of community members consume amounts of salt that exceed the recommended limits, which constitutes a health burden and contributes directly to high rates of blood pressure and other chronic diseases.

He explained to Emirates Today that the Ministry will work during the next phase to launch a package of health initiatives and policies aimed at reducing salt consumption rates, within a comprehensive approach that is not limited to food only, but also includes awareness of the importance of reducing sugar, promoting physical activity, and encouraging healthy lifestyles, which contributes to building a healthy and safe society.

He added that the first step on this path will begin with the bakery sector, given the adoption of bread as an essential component of the daily diet, where specific and binding requirements and standards will be set regarding the permissible amounts of salt in bread products, to ensure a reduction in sodium consumption at the community level, indicating that this initiative will be implemented, in cooperation with all executive councils in the country.

The head of the Department of Noncommunicable Diseases and Mental Health at the Ministry, Dr. Buthaina Ben Balila, said that chronic diseases cause about 70% of the total deaths in the country, noting that the Ministry aims to reduce this percentage by 30% by 2030, a goal that requires the cooperation and solidarity of all health and non-health agencies, at the governmental and private levels, in addition to strengthening community partnership.

She confirmed, during a dialogue session, that the results of the national survey were the result of a package of national programs and policies, including promoting healthy lifestyles, imposing taxes on sweetened drinks, launching the national guide to combating and treating obesity, in addition to implementing the selective tax on tobacco products, and activating the executive regulations to combat smoking.

• 22.4% suffer from obesity, 25.9% have high blood pressure, 12.5% ​​have high blood sugar, and 54.2% suffer from high cholesterol, according to the statistical analysis of “survey results” for adults.

• 16.1% of children suffer from obesity.