MoHAP announced the launch of the National Health and Nutrition Survey 2024-25 on Monday

The National Health and Nutrition Survey 2024–25 will begin, the UAE’s Ministry of Health and Prevention (MoHAP) announced on Monday. The study is carried out every five years, and the findings are used to inform national policies including taxes, the economy, and health. 

The survey will be finished in six months, according to Dr. Hussain Abdul Rahman Al Rand, assistant undersecretary for the Ministry of Health and Prevention's public health sector.

According to the government official, the survey will disclose how various groups consume tobacco, what kinds of food goods they eat and don't, as well as the general atmosphere in which they live. 

He went on to say that all government agencies would receive the poll results, which would aid in the development of economic and health policies pertaining to the taxation of sugar-filled goods and other harmful substances.

The survey will encompass individuals over the age of eighteen, women between the ages of fifteen and forty-nine, expectant mothers, and children in two age groups: aged one to five, and aged six to seventeen. Arabic, English, Hindi, and Urdu are the four languages in which it will be conducted. 

Additionally, 2,000 blue-collar workers will be included to make it a more thorough poll. 

Electronic smoking equipment and devices were subject to taxes on the liquid used in them following the results of the 2019 poll. 

To reduce the use of these dangerous items, the United Arab Emirates imposed an excise tax on carbonated drinks, energy drinks, fizzy drinks, and tobacco products in 2017.

The head of MoHAP's Statistics and Research Center, Dr. Alia Zaid Harbi, announced that the survey will include nutrition testing for the first time. 

Micronutrient deficiencies (zinc MNDs, vitamin A, and vitamin D); dietary intake; child development indicators (stunting, wasting, obesity, and underweight) for ages one day to five years; urinary iodine and sodium levels; anemia in expectant mothers; and salt consumption in grams are among the indicators covered by the nutrition survey. 

According to Khalid Al Jallaf, director of the Dubai Health Authority's Research, Studies, and Data Analysis Department, the findings will show which community has a higher prevalence of chronic diseases and what kind of food habits different populations follow.

The survey will be participated in by the MoHAP as well as the Department of Health, the Abu Dhabi Public Health Center, the Dubai Health Authority, Emirates Health Services, and the Federal Competitiveness and Statistics Center.