H E Sheikh Joaan bin Hamad Al Thani, President of the Qatar Olympic Committee (QOC), during a march to raise awareness of diabetes at the Oxygen Park in Education City. The march was organised by Qatar Diabetes Association to commemorate the World Diabete
Doha: President of the Qatar Olympic Committee, H E Sheikh Joaan bin Hamad Al Thani, joined thousands of community members gathered to show their support to fight against diabetes during the 10th annual walkathon organised by Qatar Diabetes Association, yesterday.
Over 8,000 people took part in the annual walkathon and allied activities. The walkathon was held in conjunction with the International Diabetes Federation’s (IDF) campaign to raise awareness about the risks of type 2 diabetes and its increasing prevalence in the world among all age groups, especially among the youth.
The annual World Diabetes Day is observed on November 14 and theme for this year is ‘Protect Your Family’. The Secretary-General of Qatar Olympic Committee, Jassim bin Rashid Al Buainain; Executive Director of QDA, Dr Abdulla Al Hamaq; Director of the Qatar Metabolic Institute (QMI), Professor Abdul-Badi Abou-Samra with several other students, representatives of private and public organisations, healthcare facilities, community organizations and many others participated in the walkathon.
“We organise walkathon to raise diabetes awareness and to recognize the people live with diabetes in Qatar and worldwide. During the activities we promote the role of the family in diabetes management and care of their children living with type 1 diabetes and their role in preventing type 2 diabetes, as diabetes concerns every family,” Dr Al Hamaq told The Peninsula.
“This year we have seen an increase in the number of participants and it demonstrates their commitment to raise awareness and combat diabetes,” he added.
A walkathon organised by the Qatar Diabetes Association to raise awareness on diabetes at the Oxygen Park, Education City, to commemorate the World Diabetes Day. Pic: Abdul Basit/ The Peninsula
Health education booths, free screening for diabetes and many activities like Zumba and yoga demonstrations were featured on the sidelines of the walkathon.
Several institutions including Qatar Football Association, Committee for Women’s Sport, Qatar Biomedical Research Institute (QBRI), Primary Health Care Corporation, National Diabetes Strategy, Ministry of Public Health, Qatar Metabolic Institute, Tobacco Control Center at Hamad Medical Corporation and Cardiac Rehabilitation Department at Heart Hospital hosted booths to educate the public on preventing and managing diabetes.
“Research studies have established that lifestyle modification with physical activity and/or healthy diet can delay or prevent the onset of type 2 diabetes. In Qatar the prevalence of obesity and overweight is high, which is a major risk factor for developing diabetes. Through our activities in the booth, we are promoting the need of adopting a healthy lifestyle, especially among children,” said Dr Alexandra Butler, Principal Investigator at QBRI. She also emphasized on the importance of regular screening for diabetes, especially for those with family history and other risk factors of developing the disorder.
Recent figures from the IDF’s Diabetes Atlas indicate that the number of people living with diabetes around the world is expected to rise from 415 million to 642 million by 2040. A sedentary lifestyle, unhealthy eating habits and low levels of awareness are noted as key contributors to the rapid incidence of type 2 diabetes in the Middle East and North Africa.
