UAE has emerged as one of the fittest countries in the world, with a physical index score of 65.4 compared to a global average of 60, according to a report by Cigna Insurance Middle East (CIME).
The report revealed that women in the Emirates have gotten fitter compared to 2018.
Women had the lowest physical well-being score of 59.2 in 2018 rising to 63.2 in 2022. The UAE women have thus surpassed not only global women well-being index – which slipped to 58.2 – but also men globally at 61.7, the report said.
According to the report, the country’s physical index has increased in the last four years whereas the average global physical index has dip. This includes key global markets such as the UK, Spain, USA, Australia, and China all of which recorded an increase from 63.5 to 63.9.
“Over the last four years, UAE’s physical index has grown by nearly five points, which coincides with the growth of several community fitness initiatives including the annual Dubai Fitness Challenge in Dubai, Active Parks, and Forever Fit initiatives in Abu Dhabi, as well as other fitness campaigns in other Emirates,” the report said.
“Cigna is deeply invested in understanding the health and well-being needs of the people in the UAE, having invested in research since 2016. We used historic findings from our annual Cigna 360 Well-being Survey to analyse trends in ‘Physical Well-being’ in the UAE and examined the contribution of various health and fitness initiatives undertaken by the government authorities to boost overall physical fitness in the country,” Cigna International Markets’ chief executive officer of Domestic Health and Health Services Jerome Droesch said.
Droesch added: “Among other governmental measures to improve the quality of life of people in the UAE, improvement in the overall well-being indices can also be attributed towards such fitness-related initiatives in various Emirates.”
The report also added that UAE millennials aged between 25 to 34 feel they are at a ‘healthy weight’ in 2022 and are ‘exercising regularly’.
Working parents with children studying in the UAE “have not only scored better than their global counterparts in their physical well-being score,66.7 compared to 64 globally, but also beat those parents working without children in UAE (65.3),” the report said.
“Fitness initiatives across the UAE demonstrate the commitment of the government to promote a more active lifestyle in the country. Backed by its world-class infrastructure, these initiatives contribute directly and significantly towards making Dubai and the UAE the preferred place to live and work,” Droesch said.
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