DOHA: A total of 650 people tested for diabetes within two days at Action on Diabetes’ (AOD) fourth annual Diabetes Screening Awareness Village at Katara Cultural Village, as part of World Diabetes Day.
The AOD screening bus, funded by Maersk Oil Qatar, is one of its kind in Qatar, fitted with equipment to allow analyses of blood glucose, HBA1C, cholesterol, BMI and blood pressure. It was kept at Katara during the weekend, and staff from Hamad Medical Corporation and Qatar Diabetes Association screened visitors and gave one-on-one consultations.
Those screened received a personalised analysis and recommendations to reduce the risk of diabetes, which is one of Qatar’s biggest health challenges. About 16.7 percent of Qataris have the condition, according to a Qatar STEPwise report.
International Diabetes Federation has predicted that 25 percent of Qataris will have diabetes by 2030 if the challenge is not addressed and lifestyles are not modified.
Visitors met educators for consultation and advice, and learned how to prepare healthy meals by watching cooking demonstrations.
There were also mini-workshops for children on healthy active lifestyles.
Herluf Nis Thomsen, Senior Project Manager, AOD, said, “Early detection is vital to properly manage diabetes and prevent complications. Diabetes is preventable if risks are identified and lifestyles changed.
“We celebrate the healthy living theme of World Diabetes Day 2014. I encourage everybody to eat healthily, move more, stop smoking and get screened. With one in five people in Qatar living with diabetes, it is one of the biggest health threats and unless we continue to address it and help people modify lifestyles, it will continue to prevail.”
The Peninsula
