Body Mass Index survey at event shows half of women are close to overweight

4,000 of 21,000 participants in Walk 2014 took part in the survey.

ABU DHABI // Fifty-five per cent of female respondents surveyed at the recent Walk 2014 event had a group body mass index (BMI) of 24.6, just within the high end of the "acceptable" range.

An “acceptable” BMI is 25, with readings above that considered overweight (26) and obese (30).

More than 4,000 of the 21,000 participants at the November 7 walkathon took part in an online survey geared to provide insights into the average BMI of the community.

Called the Big Data project, the survey is a joint initiative from Imperial College London Diabetes Centre (ICLDC), Daman and Yas Marina Circuit to provide information to help track levels of activity in the community.

Among the men, 45 per cent of those surveyed had an average BMI of 26.6, a score that suggests a higher-than-recommended body weight, although this group also cited engagement in regular high-intensity fitness practice.

“The data gained from this survey is an important indication of lifestyle habits and not only helps to inform longer-term planning strategies for our public health awareness campaigns, but also helps to raise awareness for the daily activities all of us can do to live a healthy, active life,” said Dr Saf Naqvi, medical director at ICLDC.

Trends show that the greater the age, generally, the higher the BMI, with ages 20 to 30 showing an average BMI of 24.4, and those aged 55 to 60 averaging 28.1. The number dropped, however, for those aged 60 and over.

The survey also showed that exercise frequency appears to increase with age.

Among the participants in the survey, the number of calories burnt per week peaked with the 50-year-old age group but dropped for those above 60.

Figures suggest people tend to follow similar exercise plans during their life, with only the frequency changing.

This applies to both men and women, although men reportedly exercised more than the women in the survey.

Respondents were from 93 nationalities, mainly the Philippines, India, UK and US, along with Emiratis and expatriate Arabs from the Levant and North Africa.