In support of a healthy lifestyle, thousands of people are expected to take part in this year's Walk With Me UAE event in Abu Dhabi.

Walk 2015, now in its ninth year, is jointly organised by Imperial College London Diabetes Centre (ICLDC) and Health Authority Abu Dhabi (HAAD).

At least 20,000 people joined last year's event, with even more expected to turn out this year with the event taking place on November 13, just one day before World Diabetes Day.

"The most important message we have is that this isn't just an event to highlight world diabetes day, but rather it's an ongoing commitment to a healthy lifestyle. The event goes and comes once a year, but statistics from our participants who have taken part have shown that they continued walking throughout the year,” said Dr Maha Taysir Barakat, director-general of HAAD.

Dr Maha also mentioned a number of worrying statistics during the press conference, highlighting the low numbers of adults that exercise moderately, a trend HAAD and other organisations are looking to reverse.

"Current data shows that under 20 per cent of adults perform moderate exercise to the equivalent of 150 minutes per week, so what we're trying to do is to encourage people to exercise more, and to increase that number to 30 per cent by 2030,” she said.

"All a person needs to do is walk briskly (walk with speed) 30 minutes a day, five days a week, to achieve that goal. Studies have also shown that this can have significant positive metabolic effects that can protect a person from chronic diseases such as diabetes,” she added.

The same goal also extends to children according to Dr Maha. "For children it's actually 60 minutes a day of exercise that is required, and by 2030 we are looking to have at least 30 per cent of children reaching that target. The current number of children who are exercising adequately is just at 27 per cent which is not good enough,” she said.

"Our children are our future, it is important to engage with them very early on about what a healthy lifestyle is,” Dr Maha added.

Suhail Mahmoud Al Ansari, Executive Director at Mubadala Healthcare and Chairman of Imperial College London Diabetes Centre, also commented on the goals behind Walk 2015. "Part of ICLDC ‘s mission is tackling the prevalence of diabetes across Abu Dhabi and the region. We do this through education and raising awareness about the importance of a healthy lifestyle, exercise and a balanced diet,” he said.

"Walk 2015 has become a key event in the Abu Dhabi calendar that brings the community together encouraging individuals, families and organisations to increase their activity levels in a fun and interactive way,” he said.

Six mini walks have also been organised across the emirate of Abu Dhabi in the lead up to the main walk.
Source: Gulf News