DUBAI, 31 March 2008 — Approximately 37 percent of adults aged 30 years and above suffer from abdominal obesity in the United Arab Emirates (UAE), says Dr. Ali Shakar, undersecretary at the Ministry of Health.
“Effective cardio-metabolic risk management is a must at this point, and successful educational initiatives such as the one we have here are a direct result of the public and private sectors’ partnership and determination to improve the overall health of the country,” he added while addressing a CME Graduation Ceremony for 400 UAE-based doctors that was held here recently.
Titled “Your Health Matters,” the CME was also attended by Dr. Wael Al Mahmeed, president of the Emirates Cardiac Society, and Dr. Jassem Al Suwaidi, head of Intervention Cardiology, Hamad Medical City, and board member of the Gulf Heart Association, based in Qatar. The one-year program, initiated by Sanofi-Aventis Pharmaceuticals, focused on educating doctors on the latest advancements in the field of cardio-metabolic risk management.
The campaign was launched throughout the Gulf in April 2007 by Sanofi-Aventis in association with WHO, the Gulf Heart Association and the Emirates Cardiac Society.
The campaign aims to raise awareness and educate residents in the Gulf about the dangers of increased waist circumference and associated cardio metabolic risk factors and their link to cardiovascular disease. The program consisted of four modules, with each module discussing one aspect of cardio-metabolic risk factors and its direct correlation with cardiovascular disease.
