Landmark Group, the region’s leading retail and hospitality conglomerate, today (October 31) announced the launch of the second edition of its ‘Beat Diabetes’ campaign in Kuwait.

The walkathon, which is supported by the Ministry of Health and Dasman Diabetes Institute, is a corporate social responsibility initiative aimed to further spread awareness about the condition and its causes among the wider community, a statement from the company said.

According to figures released by the International Diabetes Federation (IDF), Kuwait has one of the highest rates of prevalence in the world at 10.8 percent of the adult population suffering from it. New regional diabetes statistics, showing the extent of the diabetes epidemic, are expected to be released by IDF on World Diabetes Day, November 14.

The ‘Beat Diabetes’ campaign will host walkathons across Kuwait, Saudi, Oman, Qatar, UAE and India in November, the international diabetes awareness month. The walkathon in Kuwait is scheduled to be held on November 19, the statement said.

In 2011, the group partnered with the International Diabetes Federation (IDF), becoming the organisation’s first retail corporate supporter partner. This relation has also made Landmark Group one of the official partners of World Diabetes Day.

The IDF is an umbrella organisation which has been leading the global diabetes community since 1950. It has over 200 national diabetes associations in over 160 countries, representing the interests of the growing number of people with diabetes and those at risk.

Mario Fetz, IDF director of external relations, will join the walk in UAE to support the initiative, the statement said.

Awareness is the first step in the battle against diabetes. With this objective the Beat Diabetes initiative works towards making people alert about the growing diabetes epidemic across the world. In order to mitigate risks caused by late diagnosis of the condition, diabetes testing centres will be set up at multiple locations across the group’s retail network to administer free blood glucose test for the community during the walkathon.

Landmark Group will also be a part of the World Diabetes Day Monument Challenge, where over 1,000 buildings across the world will be lit in blue on November 14 to mark World Diabetes Day. Kuwait-based Centrepoint Salmiya will participate in the challenge.

Renuka Jagtiani, vice chairperson, Landmark Group, said: “Our commitment towards spreading awareness on diabetes has grown manifold over the last few years. There is a drastic increase in the number of people suffering from diabetes worldwide and this can be abated by maintaining a healthy lifestyle. We would like to spread this message through the campaign and encourage people to embrace healthy eating habits, exercise every day and additionally get regularly tested for the condition.”

In 2010, the group’s ‘Beat Diabetes’ walkathon attracted over 25,000 people, and over 30,000 were administered free blood glucose tests across six countries. With an ardent belief that creating awareness is crucial to take control of diabetes, the group continues to undertake various activities year-round to ‘Beat Diabetes’. – TradeArabia News Service