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A LEADING paediatric expert has advised parents in the region to ensure that their children go out and play regularly, highlighting that youngsters need to be exposed to the sunlight at least for an hour every day to keep them naturally healthy.
Specialist paediatrician Dr K Sukumaran, based at Aster Hospital in the UAE, said children in the Gulf are mostly confined indoors and parents need to understand that regular exposure to sunlight and playing out in the open every day needs to be factored in as part of a healthy lifestyle.
He said: "Deprivation of sunlight can lead to low levels of Vitamin D and this has been the cause for the condition of brittle bones, a common and potential case among children who tend to stay indoors all the time.
"It is very common in the Gulf countries that kids are rarely encouraged to go out and are brought up in protected conditions. Rather than encouraging them to play in the open, the tendency is to allow them to take up indoor games, and more often than not, kids get addicted to computers.
"It is imperative that this lifestyle needs to be changed and parents should take the lead in encouraging kids to leave their sedentary habits and be more dynamic in outdoor activities in daylight."
To highlight the issue a special 'kid's camp' was recently organised in Dubai which attracted 500 young people and their families.
"Children are the future, today's child is the custodian of tomorrow who will shape the destiny of the world. Apart from the focus on health, the Aster Kids' Camp also had a social message that children need to learn the spirit of togetherness and respect for each other," said Dr Sanjiv Malik, executive director, Aster Hospitals.
He added that children should be encouraged to use parks and other amenities to socialise more so that they learn the necessary skills of community living. Moreover, leisure and sporting activities also help curb diseases such as juvenile diabetes and obesity, common in the region.
Meanwhile, global health experts have also this week been warning parents not to 'overdo it' in the sunshine. Solar radiation, the principal cause of skin cancer, has made the disease increase dramatically in recent years in many hotspots throughout the world.
Some cancer organisations have initiated a campaign this summer, aimed particularly at children, to raise awareness about the harm caused by ultraviolet radiation and the importance of using UV filter cream.
