Tracking the link between fitness and mental health
A whitepaper tracking the rise of fitness and wellbeing in the UAE has tracked the link between physical and mental health.
Cigna Insurance Middle East, the global health services company, has issued the research, co-authored by mentl, that underpins the Emirates as one of the fittest countries in the world.
The whitepaper corroborates the research findings on ‘physical wellbeing’ in Cigna’s 360 Wellbeing Survey, which revealed that the UAE is among the fittest countries in the world, with a physical index score of 65.4 compared to a global average of 60.
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 (DFC) in Dubai, Active Parks, and Forever Fit initiatives in Abu Dhabi, as well as other fitness campaigns in other Emirates.
Data captured by the DFC shows that participants in the festival of fitness reported big gains in key mental health metrics, with 28 percent reporting a boost to their self-esteem, 25 percent reporting gains in their mental wellbeing, 24 percent said their participation had reduced anxiety and 22 percent reporting increased relaxation having embraced exercise. The UAE is also getting more ‘Quality Sleep’, that’s risen from 39 percent to 43 percent while global sleep levels have dropped to just 34 percent.
The Cigna whitepaper reiterates that while UAE’s physical index has grown in the last four years, the average global physical index has dipped. This includes key global markets such as the UK, Spain, USA, Australia, and China [which recorded a marginal rise from 63.5 to 63.9].
Interestingly, the whitepaper reveals that women in UAE have got fitter – starting with the lowest physical wellbeing score of 59.2 in 2018, women in UAE have risen 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.
Jerome Droesch, CEO of Domestic Health and Health Services – Cigna International Markets, 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 Wellbeing Survey to analyse trends in ‘Physical Wellbeing’ 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 collated the findings in a whitepaper, which reveals interesting insights on people’s changing lifestyles and their adoption of healthier physical fitness and well-being mindset over the past 5-6 years.”
“The whitepaper points out key aspects of the overall well-being levels of UAE’s women compared to both men and women globally. Last month, we announced that UAE has scored the highest across all well-being indices – physical, social, family, financial, and work, as compared to key global markets such as the UK, US, China, Spain, and Australia. 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 whitepaper also adds that more millennials in the UAE, those in the 25-34 age-group, feel they are at a ‘Healthy Weight’ in 2022 – 50 per cent compared to 37 per cent in 2020 and are ‘exercising regularly’ – which is about 40 per cent currently compared to only 25 per cent in 2020.
In another interesting finding in the whitepaper, working parents with children studying in the UAE have not only scored better than their global counterparts in their physical wellbeing score [66.7 compared to 64 globally], but also beat those parents working without children in UAE [65.3].
“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. Cigna’s whitepaper reinforces this point beyond doubt,” added Droesch.
The eighth annual 360° Global Wellbeing Survey 2022 was conducted by Cigna in April and May 2022, covering 11,922 respondents aged 18-65 years across key markets worldwide.
