The online registration system of Walk 2012 shows that more than 200 people a day are pledging their support for this year’s event, according to the event organiser’s, Imperial College London Diabetes Centre (ICLDC).

“In less than two weeks, more than 3,000 people have signed up for this year’s event which continues to throw the spotlight on the attributes of a healthy lifestyle,” said Dr Maha Taysir Barakat, ICLDC’s Medical and Research Director and Consultant Endocrinologist.

Now in its sixth year, Walk 2012 is part of ICLDC’s public health awareness campaign, ‘Diabetes-Knowledge-Action’ under the patronage of Her Highness Sheikha Fatima bint Mubarak.

This year’s event, scheduled to take place on November 16 just two days after World Diabetes Day at Yas Marina Circuit, is eyeing more than 17,000 participants, four times the number who supported the first walk in 2007. The National Health Insurance Company – Daman is on-board as the event sponsor for the sixth year running.

Dr Maha Taysir Barakat said that this year Walk 2012 offers a choice of two circuits – a five kilometre route for those who really want to walk for a good 60 minutes or more, and a shorter three kilometre route, which is great for families with small children.

“The key to the prevention of type 2 diabetes is to maintain a normal body weight best achieved by a balanced diet and regular exercise, such as a 30-minute brisk walk each day.

“Indeed, an adult walking briskly can generally cover one kilometre every 10 minutes, meaning that the newly-introduced three kilometre circuit at Walk 2012 is also perfect for this,” Dr Maha said.

Meanwhile, Daman’s Chief Executive Officer Dr. Michael Bitzer, said: “The registrations so far have been very encouraging for us, and surely the news of the shorter circuit will draw in more people as we come closer to the event.”

The Walk 2012 programme kicks off at 3pm with a whole array of family activities, including fun-filled pre-walk warm-ups and lots of entertainment, all geared to encouraging lifestyle changes to help manage and even prevent diabetes.

‘Diabetes-Knowledge-Action’ has reached out to more than 160,000 people since its launch in 2007.

Log onto www.diabetesuae.ae and www.facebook.com/diabetesuae/walkforlife
 

We accept Guest Posts

Download the Dubai City Guide iPhone mobile app

DubaiCityGuide.com is owned and managed by Cyber Gear