Some 17% of Qatar’s population is diabetic, showing the significantly high prevalence of the disease in the country, a senior official at the Qatari Diabetes Association (QDA) said yesterday.
Speaking ahead of a “Walkathon” organised on the Corniche to mark the World Diabetes Day, QDA’s head of the scientific committee Mahmoud Zarhi said the association was in the process of preparing a new study on people with diabetes in Qatar.
“We expect a significant increase in the number of diabetics,” he said. QDA programme manager Sharoud al-Jundi said the walkathon was one of the activities of the association to convey information to the pubic about diabetes and raise awareness about the prevention of the disease.
She said the best way to prevent diabetes was to make children aware of the disease. “Prevention of diabetes starts with working, sports and weight control,” she said. Al-Jundi said QDA would continue carrying out awareness lectures in schools, public places and companies. She urged people to adopt a healthy lifestyle to help deal with diabetes and reduce the risk of developing the disease in the future.
Hundreds of school students participated in the walkathon. Also yesterday Dr Naseer Shahir Homoud, the Goodwill Ambassador of the Intergovernmental Institution for the use of Micro-algae Spirulina against Malnutrition (IIMSAM), which is a Permanent Observer to the UN Economic and Social Council, participated in a Walkathon at Aspire, the Qatar News Agency reports. The event was organised by Aspire Active in collaboration with QDA and Qatar Foundation. Dr Homoud promised to support campaigns by the World Health Organisation and other UN agencies to cope with the disease.
He urged individuals, non-governmental organsations and private and public organisations to actively participate in the movement to take care of people afflicted by diabetes. He also promised the support of IIMSAM to QDA