UAE: Fast Food Fuels Obesity in Dubai

August 20, 2012 | Pulitzer Center

Andrew Faust, for the Pulitzer Center

Dubai’s population has increased by more than 200 percent, according to government statistics, resulting in a massive expansion and cultural shift in the booming metropolis. Image by Andrew Faust. Dubai, 2012.

With an abundance of housing, shopping and eating options, Dubai’s fast-paced lifestyle provides the population with convenience and variety. Image by Andrew Faust. Dubai, 2012.

With thousands of restaurants througout the emirate, fast food is one of Dubai’s many thriving industries, and has an overwhelming presence in modern UAE culture. Image by Andrew Faust. Dubai, 2012.

Waffa Al-Bassum, clinical dietician and diabetes educator at the Dr. Sulaiman Al-Habib Medical Group, works with a wide range of Dubai citizens in all age groups. She has found that her patients struggle most with a combination of high-calorie intake and lack of exercise. Image by Andrew Faust. Dubai, 2012.

“Obesity is a big problem in this part of the world,” says Waffa Al-Bassum. “It’s an issue that’s been going on for awhile, and people need to understand that obesity is a disease and it needs to be treated as such.” Image by Andrew Faust. Dubai, 2012.

According to a study conducted by Phillips Healthcare, more than half of Emirati nationals living in Dubai are overweight, but less than 25 percent of those individuals acknowledge that they are overweight. Image by Andrew Faust. Dubai, 2012.

American fast food chains, including McDonalds, KFC and Subway, are especially popular within the UAE and have experienced rapid growth. Image by Andrew Faust. Dubai, 2012.

“In today’s society, there is so much importance given to health,” says Grandy Gomes, a local bank employee who moved to Dubai in 1991. “In the UAE, there is such a variety in food available and people continue to overeat without any exercise.” Image by Andrew Faust. Dubai, 2012.

Dr. Wafaa Ayesh, director of clinical nutrition at the Dubai Health Authority, has participated in many of Dubai’s health campaigns and says that the local diet and lack of exercise in Dubai are responsible for the high percentages of obesity and diabetes. Image by Andrew Faust. Dubai, 2012.

“The high intake of calories, plus the increase of technology, has really changed our way of living,” says Dr. Wafaa Ayesh. “That is why the DHA [Dubai Health Authority] is very important, because we are here to educate people.” Image by Andrew Faust. Dubai, 2012.

“It’s very important to realize the impact that urbanization has on our health, and although the statistics are quite frightening, we should embrace that knowledge and awareness, but understand that education is not enough,” says Dr. Ambreen Sayani, a former surgeon who started Medi-Compass, a health education and awareness organization. Image by Andrew Faust. Dubai, 2012.

“Children are definitely the torchbearers for the future,” says Dr. Ambreen Sayani. “Right now, our work with children directly influences their parents and their own lifestyles. In the future they will impact their children as well.” Image by Andrew Faust. Dubai, 2012.

Dubai’s ever-changing skyline is reflective of the culture’s rapid growth and consumer-focused lifestyle.

Since the early 1990s, Dubai’s population has grown by more than 200 percent. The emirate's rapid expansion, its fast-paced lifestyle and its embrace of Western consumer habits have created a natural market for convenience food. Shopping malls are stuffed with food courts, and a sharp increase in obesity has now become a national concern. “Obesity is a big problem in this part of the world,” says Waffa Al-Bassum, clinical dietician and diabetes educator at the Dr. Sulaiman Al-Habib Medical Group. “It’s an issue that’s been going on for a while, and people need to understand that obesity is a disease and it needs to be treated as such.”