emirates7 - Healthy Living, Abu Dhabi’s government-led programme for prevention and wellbeing, has highlighted a comprehensive set of strategic initiatives under the Abu Dhabi Healthy Living Strategy.
Twenty-five initiatives are underway to drive sustainable behaviour change, improve population health, and make healthier choices easy, accessible and part of everyday life for all citizens and residents. This marks a critical step in addressing the growing burden of non-communicable diseases (NCDs), such as obesity, diabetes, heart disease and cancer, and in enabling people to live longer, healthier and more fulfilling lives.
Following the endorsement of the Healthy Living Strategy by H.H. Sheikh Khaled bin Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan, Crown Prince of Abu Dhabi and Chairman of the Abu Dhabi Executive Council, during the Executive Council session, Healthy Living outlined key government and private sector partners and measures for success. 25 initiatives are currently underway as part of the Healthy Living Strategy, spanning five key domains: enhanced infrastructure, programmes, evidence-based policies and regulations, literacy and awareness, and improved access to healthcare interventions.
Orchestrated by Healthy Living and implemented by government entities, private sector partners, communities and individuals, the initiatives focus on removing barriers to embedding daily healthy behaviours and creating supportive environments that make healthy choices the default choice. At its core, Healthy Living is about enabling behaviour change by strengthening health literacy and awareness and empowering individuals to make informed health decisions.
In its initial phase, Healthy Living focuses on increasing physical activity, improving nutrition, and strengthening awareness and knowledge. Initiatives addressing other critical pillars of health, including sleep and mental wellbeing, will be rolled out later in the year.
Mansoor Ibrahim Al Mansoori, Chairman of the Department of Health – Abu Dhabi, said: “By treating wellbeing as core infrastructure, we are changing how health is created in Abu Dhabi. Healthy Living brings together government entities, private sector partners and communities at a scale rarely achieved, to reshape the environments that influence daily behaviour. This level of coordination is complex, but it is essential to preventing disease, strengthening families, and enabling longer, healthier lives.”
Dr Ahmed AlKhazraji, Executive Director of Healthy Living, said: “We want to make it easier for everyone to eat well, move more and feel supported in managing their health, every day. We aim to empower individuals with the information they need to make informed choices, without compromising personal autonomy or the enjoyment of food.
Our initiatives are data-driven, grounded in community insights and delivered in close collaboration with government entities.
“This is part of our broader shift from reactive care to a proactive and preventative approach to health, focused on early intervention inside and outside of the health system. We envision that this is a model that other countries will learn from.”
The government entities implementing initiatives include: the Abu Dhabi Agriculture and Food Safety Authority (ADAFSA), Abu Dhabi Public Health Centre (ADPHC), Abu Dhabi Investment Office (ADIO), Abu Dhabi Projects and Infrastructure Centre (ADPIC), Abu Dhabi Quality and Conformity Council (ADQCC), Department of Health – Abu Dhabi (DOH), Abu Dhabi Department of Community Development (DCD), Abu Dhabi Department of Economic Development (DED), Abu Dhabi Department of Education and Knowledge (ADEK), Abu Dhabi Department of Government Enablement (DGE), Abu Dhabi Department of Culture and Tourism (DCT), Abu Dhabi Department of Municipalities and Transport (DMT), Statistics Centre of Abu Dhabi (SCAD), and federal entities including the Ministry of Education (MOE). Launches of the initiatives themselves will be announced by the implementing entities in the coming weeks and months.
Early milestones of the Healthy Living programme include new initiatives and policy reforms such as the launch of a new policy that promotes responsible advertising of food and beverages across Out-of-Home (OOH) media assets in the emirate. Developed in partnership with DMT, ADMO, ADPHC, ADQCC, and DED, and effective from November 2025. The policy supports healthier choices by guiding how food and beverage products are promoted in public spaces.
Other milestones include the launch of Degayeg, a community initiative led by DCD with support from DOH, to enable individuals of all ages and abilities to incorporate physical activity into their daily routines. Since its launch in October 2025, more than 500 community-based physical activity events took place across Abu Dhabi, Al Ain, and Al Dhafra, with over 7,700 participants. Degayeg Fitness Festivals were also held across six districts in Abu Dhabi, attracting more than 1,400 participants. The festivals will be repeated every two months in 2026.
The Festival of Health, led by ADPHC in collaboration with DOH, took place between 12-28 December 2025 across Abu Dhabi, Al Ain and Al Dhafra. The festival featured immersive experiences, thought-provoking talks, and engaging activities spanning all four Healthy Living pillars, including physical activity, nutrition, sleep and mental health. It attracted almost 50,000 participants and over 40,000 repeat visits, with children accounting for 37 per cent of these visits, and strong engagement seen among adults and the elderly.
Another milestone was Nutri-Mark, a front-of-pack nutrition grading label launched by ADQCC, in collaboration with ADPHC, to classify packaged food products from Grade A (highest nutritional value) to Grade E (lowest), helping consumers compare items within the same category and make informed choices. The initiative has been strengthened through a TAMM app feature that enables users to scan product labels and instantly view the Nutri-Mark grade.
Healthy Living is driving tangible and lasting improvements in population health, and demonstrating measurable progress in prevention and wellbeing within and, most importantly, outside the healthcare sector.
Twenty-five initiatives are underway to drive sustainable behaviour change, improve population health, and make healthier choices easy, accessible and part of everyday life for all citizens and residents. This marks a critical step in addressing the growing burden of non-communicable diseases (NCDs), such as obesity, diabetes, heart disease and cancer, and in enabling people to live longer, healthier and more fulfilling lives.
Following the endorsement of the Healthy Living Strategy by H.H. Sheikh Khaled bin Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan, Crown Prince of Abu Dhabi and Chairman of the Abu Dhabi Executive Council, during the Executive Council session, Healthy Living outlined key government and private sector partners and measures for success. 25 initiatives are currently underway as part of the Healthy Living Strategy, spanning five key domains: enhanced infrastructure, programmes, evidence-based policies and regulations, literacy and awareness, and improved access to healthcare interventions.
Orchestrated by Healthy Living and implemented by government entities, private sector partners, communities and individuals, the initiatives focus on removing barriers to embedding daily healthy behaviours and creating supportive environments that make healthy choices the default choice. At its core, Healthy Living is about enabling behaviour change by strengthening health literacy and awareness and empowering individuals to make informed health decisions.
In its initial phase, Healthy Living focuses on increasing physical activity, improving nutrition, and strengthening awareness and knowledge. Initiatives addressing other critical pillars of health, including sleep and mental wellbeing, will be rolled out later in the year.
Mansoor Ibrahim Al Mansoori, Chairman of the Department of Health – Abu Dhabi, said: “By treating wellbeing as core infrastructure, we are changing how health is created in Abu Dhabi. Healthy Living brings together government entities, private sector partners and communities at a scale rarely achieved, to reshape the environments that influence daily behaviour. This level of coordination is complex, but it is essential to preventing disease, strengthening families, and enabling longer, healthier lives.”
Dr Ahmed AlKhazraji, Executive Director of Healthy Living, said: “We want to make it easier for everyone to eat well, move more and feel supported in managing their health, every day. We aim to empower individuals with the information they need to make informed choices, without compromising personal autonomy or the enjoyment of food.
Our initiatives are data-driven, grounded in community insights and delivered in close collaboration with government entities.
“This is part of our broader shift from reactive care to a proactive and preventative approach to health, focused on early intervention inside and outside of the health system. We envision that this is a model that other countries will learn from.”
The government entities implementing initiatives include: the Abu Dhabi Agriculture and Food Safety Authority (ADAFSA), Abu Dhabi Public Health Centre (ADPHC), Abu Dhabi Investment Office (ADIO), Abu Dhabi Projects and Infrastructure Centre (ADPIC), Abu Dhabi Quality and Conformity Council (ADQCC), Department of Health – Abu Dhabi (DOH), Abu Dhabi Department of Community Development (DCD), Abu Dhabi Department of Economic Development (DED), Abu Dhabi Department of Education and Knowledge (ADEK), Abu Dhabi Department of Government Enablement (DGE), Abu Dhabi Department of Culture and Tourism (DCT), Abu Dhabi Department of Municipalities and Transport (DMT), Statistics Centre of Abu Dhabi (SCAD), and federal entities including the Ministry of Education (MOE). Launches of the initiatives themselves will be announced by the implementing entities in the coming weeks and months.
Early milestones of the Healthy Living programme include new initiatives and policy reforms such as the launch of a new policy that promotes responsible advertising of food and beverages across Out-of-Home (OOH) media assets in the emirate. Developed in partnership with DMT, ADMO, ADPHC, ADQCC, and DED, and effective from November 2025. The policy supports healthier choices by guiding how food and beverage products are promoted in public spaces.
Other milestones include the launch of Degayeg, a community initiative led by DCD with support from DOH, to enable individuals of all ages and abilities to incorporate physical activity into their daily routines. Since its launch in October 2025, more than 500 community-based physical activity events took place across Abu Dhabi, Al Ain, and Al Dhafra, with over 7,700 participants. Degayeg Fitness Festivals were also held across six districts in Abu Dhabi, attracting more than 1,400 participants. The festivals will be repeated every two months in 2026.
The Festival of Health, led by ADPHC in collaboration with DOH, took place between 12-28 December 2025 across Abu Dhabi, Al Ain and Al Dhafra. The festival featured immersive experiences, thought-provoking talks, and engaging activities spanning all four Healthy Living pillars, including physical activity, nutrition, sleep and mental health. It attracted almost 50,000 participants and over 40,000 repeat visits, with children accounting for 37 per cent of these visits, and strong engagement seen among adults and the elderly.
Another milestone was Nutri-Mark, a front-of-pack nutrition grading label launched by ADQCC, in collaboration with ADPHC, to classify packaged food products from Grade A (highest nutritional value) to Grade E (lowest), helping consumers compare items within the same category and make informed choices. The initiative has been strengthened through a TAMM app feature that enables users to scan product labels and instantly view the Nutri-Mark grade.
Healthy Living is driving tangible and lasting improvements in population health, and demonstrating measurable progress in prevention and wellbeing within and, most importantly, outside the healthcare sector.
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