Abu Dhabi has announced its Healthy Living Strategy, a new cross-sector plan designed to strengthen community health and wellbeing across the emirate.
Developed under the guidance of the Department of Health – Abu Dhabi, the strategy aims to help citizens and residents live longer, healthier and more fulfilling lives.
Placing prevention at the centre of its approach, the strategy seeks to address non-communicable diseases including obesity, diabetes, heart disease and cancer.
Abu Dhabi Healthy Living Strategy
It represents a multi-year commitment to unite government, the private sector, communities and individuals in creating a healthier Abu Dhabi.
In its initial phase, Abu Dhabi’s Healthy Living Strategy will focus on three central pillars:
- Increasing physical activity
- Improving diet and nutrition
- Strengthening awareness and knowledge
It also highlights the importance of sleep and mental wellbeing as key health drivers. These priorities will be advanced through enhanced infrastructure, supportive policies and regulations, programmes and behavioural prompts that make healthier choices easier in daily life.
Healthcare goals
Mansoor Ibrahim Al Mansoori, Chairman of the Department of Health – Abu Dhabi, said: “Health begins long before we step into a doctor’s clinic, it is shaped by what we eat, how we move, and the environment we live in.
“Moving more and eating well must become priorities that define how we live, learn, and work. By harnessing cross-sector collaboration and intelligence-led insights, we can protect individuals, strengthen families, and build more resilient communities.”
At its core, the strategy centres on driving behaviour change. While everyone has a role in taking responsibility for their own health, the Healthy Living Strategy is designed to make healthy choices more accessible and sustainable, embedding prevention into everyday life.
Dr. Ahmed AlKhazraji, Executive Director of Healthy Living, implementing the strategy, said: “Our mission is clear: to make healthy living the easy choice for every citizen and resident in Abu Dhabi.
Health is not one-size-fits-all, which is why the strategy is grounded in behavioural science and designed to target areas of greatest need.
“Across the emirate, strong initiatives are already driving healthier lives. The strategy aims to bring these efforts together, accelerate their impact, and ensure our collective resources across the government and the private sector are focused on where they can make the biggest difference, from active infrastructure to nutritious food, and stronger health awareness.”
More than 20 initiatives have been approved under the strategy, to be implemented by a cross-section of government entities and the private sector over the coming year.
