ADM NEWS | Healthy Living oversees implementation of 25 strategic initiatives to support citizens and residents of Abu Dhabi to lead healthier lives 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.
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. “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.” 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.
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.
For more information, please visit healthyliving.abudhabi
