Gold For (Kilo)Grams

July 20, 2013 in Daily Bulletin

In Dubai you’re literally worth your weight in gold writes Ariel Schwartz:

  • Due to its oil wealth, Dubai’s citizens have become rich and fat. Half of all residents are now overweight.
  • To combat obesity Dubai is offering citizens one gram of gold (worth ~$45) for every kilogram they lose in the month starting July 19th.
  • However residents of Dubai are now so rich that a mere gram of gold is unlikely to change their behaviour much.
  • Moreover the UAE spends very little on public health, and so without a sustainable healthcare structure in place, such one-off policies might be ineffectual.

Read more about why weight is a fairly bad health metric, the random lottery that has also been set up, and more over here.

Source: Fast Company