Free diabetes screening in Dubai Mall

Dubai: Shoppers at The Dubai Mall on Sunday found themselves on the front line of a new health initiative in the UAE to tackle heart-related illnesses, which aims to break three Guinness World Records titles this year.

A team of more than 80 nurses were on hand for an eight-hour diabetes screening of mall-goers on Sunday as the One Heart Health Community launched a major awareness drive to highlight the risks of heart problems and underline the importance of a healthy lifestyle.

The first phase of the campaign, endorsed by Dubai Health Authority (DHA), Dubai Diabetes Centre, Emirates Diabetes Society and the Emirates Cardiac Society, set out to tackle cardiovascular disease, the world’s biggest single killer, which accounted for a quarter of all deaths in the UAE in 2012.

As the first shoppers lined up for blood sugar level checks at nursing stations set up in the mall’s Star Atrium, the aim was to break the current Guinness World Records title with 7,025 tests in an eight-hour screening.

Engineer Eisa Al Maidour, Director-General of the DHA, pointed out that it’s the authority’s aim to carry out health education campaigns to empower the community to make the right choices with regard to their health. “While we hope to win the record, the larger aim is to educate the community that prevention and early detection is important to ensure a healthier population,” he said.

Shoppers were also informed about the risk factors of cardiovascular disease, which include diabetes, hypertension, hypercholesterolaemia, obesity, tobacco use and lack of physical exercise.

Dr Mohammad Hamed Farooqi, Director of the Dubai Diabetes Centre, also highlighted the importance of educating the community about diabetes, as it is common both in the region and abroad. “Diabetes is a disease that affects all parts of the body and is one of the most important risk factors for cardiovascular disease. It is important, therefore, to educate diabetics on ways to keep their sugar levels under control.”

World record attempts

Two other Guinness World Records attempts will be made in August and November this year for most blood pressure readings and most cholesterol readings.

The One Heart Health Community has partnered with Merck Serono Middle and Near East, the world’s oldest pharmaceutical company, with the aim of collaborating with health-care communities to create greater awareness about health campaigns.

“The early signs are very encouraging,” said Ahmad Abo Al Fadl, Marketing Director at Merck Serono Middle East FZ-LLC. “People are showing a genuine interest in their health and wanting to change their lifestyle. Diabetes is a major risk factor for heart attacks and, in the UAE, over 20 per cent of the population suffers from this disease,” he said.

The campaign will engage UAE residents online through Facebook, blogs, Twitter and a new mobile phone application called ‘Break-Up’ to help them track changes in their lifestyle such as exercising at home and limiting junk food consumption. The app will also help motivate users to keep track of their progress as well as that of family and friends.