ABU DHABI // Nine-times Olympic gold medallist Carl Lewis has thrown his support behind the Government’s goals to improve the health of the nation.
Speaking at Daman’s Creating Healthy Communities Conference, the American athlete said that while there were specific issues in the UAE to keeping healthy, the end result should be a focus on health.
“There are challenges that can discourage active engagement in sports, particularly the high temperature and humidity, but there are always solutions,” he said. Building indoor facilities and encouraging a healthy lifestyle, he said, were the solutions to the challenges.
Also speaking at the conference at Zayed University’s Convention Centre was Mick Cornett, the mayor of Oklahoma City in the United States.
He led a successful campaign to encourage residents of his city to lose a combined 453,592 kilograms in weight. He said that governments should not impose financial penalties on unhealthy lifestyles but should instead educate citizens on the benefits of the alternatives.
“Some cultures believe in taxation to change people, but I think information can do the same job,” he said. “An educated person can deal with information, but I don’t know if enough information is enough.”
Making healthiness a topic of public discussion was the most important factor, he said.
“Regardless of the weight, it’s almost a distraction of the real success, which is why the campaign allows us to talk about weight as an issue, and if you can talk about it you can address it,” he said.
Furthermore, the infrastructure of a city should support more healthy lifestyles.
“The environment should be built for people and not cars. Streets shouldn’t just be able to accommodate cars, they should be built for people to walk and to use bicycles. This is all part of the mindset of a healthier community,” he said.
Dr Michael Bitzer, chief executive of Daman, said supporting a healthy lifestyle required the coordination of health organisations and other authorities.
“It’s not all coordinated and we need it to be. Sometimes we we need to go beyond what the community is doing now. We need to engage urban planning, the education council and all aspects,” he said.
By building cycle lanes or introducing healthy meals in schools, Dr Blitzer said one could create a society with a higher regard for healthy living.
nalwasmi@thenational.ae