Walk Challenge’ competitors honoured

TDT | Manama

Bahrain Diabetes Society (BDS) has organised for the first time a remote ceremony to honour competitors in the “Walk Challenge” through the Visual Communication Technology (VCT).

It was held under the patronage of Supreme Council of Health (SCH) president Lieutenant General Dr Shaikh Mohammed bin Abdullah Al Khalifa. In the speech, Dr Shaikh Mohammed stressed that the “Walk Challenge” contest is one of the key programmes aimed at tackling obesity in the Bahraini society.

He noted that it is one of the main causes of diabetes and other chronic diseases which have social, health and financial effects on individuals, governments and society. Dr Shaikh Mohammed affirmed that the “Walk Challenge” is a first-of-its-kind initiative in Bahrain and the Gulf.

He added it has received large scale support and saw massive participation from all age categories. He pointed out that the competition has become a comprehensive awareness programme to curb obesity and the complications of diabetes and chronic diseases.

For her part, Public Health assistant undersecretary and BDS vice-president Dr Mariam Al Hajeri said the second edition of the competition was organised over three months, from January 25 to April 23 of this year, starting from Riffa walkway in the Southern Governorate.

She noted that the contest aims to help Bahraini society adopt healthy walking as a lifestyle and maintain a healthy weight to prevent non-communicable diseases in the long run.

At the end of the ceremony, BDS awareness and media committee head Dr Kawthar Al Eid held a raffle draw with prizes for 17 winners who participated in the initiative. Meanwhile, the SCH president inaugurated the BDS website which represents a comprehensive media and awareness platform.