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15,000 walk to beat diabetes

Dubai - Organised by retail and hospitality conglomerate Landmark Group, the 3-km walk aimed to educate residents about diabetes and the need to make healthy lifestyle choices.

The Dubai Creek Park transformed into a sea of blue as over 15,000 UAE residents wearing blue T-shirts participated in the ninth annual edition of the Beat Diabetes Walk to promote diabetes awareness on Friday morning.
Organised by retail and hospitality conglomerate Landmark Group, the 3-km walk aimed to educate residents about diabetes and the need to make healthy lifestyle choices. The participants gathered at Gate 1 of the park and the walk kick-started at 8am.
Although eight-year-old Fouad has problems walking as he was born premature and has cerebral palsy, he joined his parents using a walker. "Our very good friend has diabetes and we thought why not come out and support this cause and even introduce it to our son. The lively atmosphere here with so many people gathered together, singing, dancing and raising awareness about the disease is amazing and has really uplifted our mood. Fouad is loving it here and also learning about the disease. We got him here to inspire others to walk. If Fouad can walk then why can't others," said Fouad's father Amer Matar.
Participants also benefitted from the free glucose testing services provided at the venue by the Dubai Health Authority (DHA), the event's health partners, who also presented practical tips on how to prevent and manage diabetes.
After the walk, the participants enjoyed a free healthy breakfast and a host of community-focused fitness and sports activities such as Zumba, yoga, bubble football and archery. A Fun Zone featured Jumble, Landmark's newest game room concept, as well as a bouncy castle, gladiator ring and rodeo bull.
Renuka Jagtiani, chairwoman and CEO of the Landmark Group, said: "Over the last nine years, Beat Diabetes has received overwhelming support from our community. Starting from our partners to our youngest walker, the enthusiasm and commitment to better health is very rewarding to see. As an organisation, we are committed to encouraging this healthy lifestyle change in the community and the 'Beat Diabetes Walk' is an effort toward achieving that goal."
According to the International Diabetes Federation's statistics, around 415 million people in the world suffer from diabetes. In the UAE, the total rate of those at the pre-diabetes stage (high risk of developing diabetes) among expatriates is 18.6 per cent and for Emiratis is 16 per cent, which makes prevention efforts even more critical. 
The Emirates Diabetes Society (EDS), the Dubai Sports Council, the Hamdan bin Mohammed Community Sports Initiative, Al Jalila Foundation, Dubai Municipality, Children's City, the Roads and Transport Authority and the Dubai Police were partners in the event.
saman@khaleejtimes.com