29 October, Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates – Under the patronage of H.H. Sheikh Hazza bin Zayed Al Nahyan, Vice Chairman of Abu Dhabi Executive Council, Daman will hold its Creating Healthy Communities Conference on Monday, October 31. The conference is to gather 300 local and international health sector specialists at Zayed University.
The conference will serve to foster dialogue on how to best promote health and wellness within communities, and ways for international best practices to be applied throughout the UAE in order to improve public health. It will also gather stakeholders from the public and private sectors in order to address the issue and other related factors.
The conference will feature several high-profile speakers, including Mick Cornett, the Mayor of Oklahoma City – the city that collectively went on a diet to lose a million pounds; Olympian Carl Lewis; Jon Duschinsky, the creator of the ALS ice-bucket challenge; and Dr Claude Marcus, a leading expert in paediatric endocrinology. The speakers will share insights on community engagement for good health and well-being.
“This conference is aligned with the Abu Dhabi Plan, under which a healthy lifestyle that includes preventative services and world-class medical care is a strategic objective.” said H.E. Mohamed Sultan bin Ghanoum Al Hameli Chairman of the Board, National Health Insurance Company – Daman.
His Excellency added: “Daman is keen to promote healthy living by raising public awareness about health related issues, and bringing us all together making in creating healthy communities within the UAE.”
Mick Cornett will talk about his experiences in initiating and overseeing a city-wide weight loss of a million pounds in 2008. He began the drive to reduce obesity in Oklahoma after it was listed as one of the most obese cities in the USA.
The conference will also welcome Dr Claude Marcus, an expert on childhood obesity and related disorders, who will deliver his speech titled “Food at the Heart of the Community”. Dr Marcus will explain how to guide the public in making healthier choices with food and other tactics to tackle childhood obesity.
In addition, Jon Duschinsky, the creator of the ALS Ice Bucket Challenge, will be present. At the conference, he will discuss behavioural engineering and with the use of practical tools, how Abu Dhabi can build movements that change the way people think in terms of healthy living.
Also presenting will be Carl Lewis, the nine-time Olympic gold medallist who broke several track and field event records. Lewis will present on ways to inspire younger generations into a healthy lifestyle at the conference.
Over the past decade, Daman has pioneered the initiative to create awareness and engage with the UAE communities on the importance of leading an active and healthy lifestyle. It has done so through multiple platforms such as Daman’s ActiveLife – the health and fitness initiative designed to motivate the UAE society to maintain healthy lifestyles; and Daman Corporate Health Awards, which recognises the best employers in the UAE for their commitment and success in organisational health and wellness schemes, to name a few.
