Abu Dhabi’s Healthy Living Strategy to strengthen community well-being

Abu Dhabi has taken another bold step into the future of digital health with its new Healthy Living Strategy. It is a sweeping promise to help people move more, eat better, and age with a little more grace. The plan reads like a quiet revolution. It puts prevention at the centre of daily life, rather than treating health as something that begins only when symptoms appear.

As His Excellency Mansoor Ibrahim Al Mansoori put it, "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." That sentiment sits at the heart of the strategy and shapes everything that follows.

How does it work?

The strategy uses a cross-sector model that leans on data, infrastructure, behavioural science, and community design. It works like a digital health ecosystem that nudges people toward better habits without feeling forced.

Here is how it comes together

• Three big pillars guide the first phase. More physical activity. Better diet and nutrition. Stronger awareness supported by education, sleep health, and mental well-being.
• These pillars become real through redesigned public spaces, friendlier policies, smart programmes, and small prompts that make healthy choices feel natural.
• Digital intelligence plays a crucial role. It identifies high-risk groups early. It helps shape targeted interventions. It ensures limited resources are allocated where they matter most.
• Behavioural science runs through the plan.

As His Excellency Dr Ahmed AlKhazraji noted, "Health is not one size fits all," which is why the strategy adapts to the needs of different communities.

In short, it blends human insight and digital tools to guide healthier habits at scale.

Why does it matter?

The region faces a familiar challenge. Non-communicable diseases continue to rise. Obesity. Diabetes. Heart disease. Cancer. These conditions strain families and health systems. They also chip away at quality of life long before a diagnosis is made.

A strategy that focuses on prevention rather than reaction can shift the entire population health curve. It matters because:

• It reduces long-term disease burden.
• It helps people stay active, productive, and socially connected.
• It uses data in a smart way to drive early action.
• It makes healthy living less of a chore and more of a default.

When leaders say things like "Moving more and eating well must become priorities that define how we live, learn, and work," they are not speaking in slogans. They are naming a long-overdue shift in how societies think about health.

The context

Digital health is no longer a side project in the Gulf. It is a core development pillar. Abu Dhabi has invested in personalised care, early detection, smart wearables, and population health analytics. This new strategy builds on that momentum.

More than 20 initiatives have already been approved for rollout. Government bodies and private-sector players are moving in the same direction. Many community programmes already exist. The new strategy brings them together to move faster. As Dr AlKhazraji explained, the goal is to "accelerate their impact and ensure our collective resources are focused on where they can make the biggest difference."

This is the broader story. A health system that looks ahead instead of behind. A city that treats well-being as shared work. A region that continues to show how digital health can shape resilient communities.