The Student Activities Department at the United Arab Emirates University (UAEU) organized a lecture on, “Obesity at a young age is an invitation for disease”. This is part of the health campaign, ‘For Our Children’s Safety’ jointly sponsored by the Marriage Fund. It was held in the theatre of the Crescent Building on the Maqam campus on Thursday 14^th May, 2015, in the presence of university students and pupils from private and government schools in the Al Ain Educational Area.

The lecture discussed the dangers of obesity in the UAE and how to prevent them. It was presented by Iman Saeed Bajash, a Dietitian from the Department of Community Nutrition at Tawam Hospital. She addressed the causes that lead to obesity in children and adolescents: laziness, lack of exercise and the consumption of unhealthy food.

She also discussed a lifestyle where a lack of exercise is combined with a diet of junk food and other foodstuffs high in fat and calories. She explained the risks of obesity and other related diseases and the importance of consuming food for health and energy and not for entertainment. She concluded the lecture by encouraging school students to commit to a healthy lifestyle, to eat fruit and vegetables and to understand the importance of sport for children.