DOHA: Kulluna, a national safety drive, is conducting a six-day campaign to promote cardiac health and help prevent heart diseases.
A large number of people visited a booth set up at Gulf Mall for the campaign until September 27, between 10am and 10pm.
At ‘Kulluna for a Healthy Heart’ visitors are invited to complete a free check-up, including blood cholesterol, blood sugar, height, weight, blood pressure and BMI.
Trained staff discuss risk factors for developing coronary artery diseases and offer consultations once test results are evaluated. Visitors are also given booklets on how to have a healthy heart and healthy fasting.
The healthy heart booklet provides information on maintaining a healthy heart and highlights individuals’ role in reducing risks for developing heart-related diseases.
World Health Organisation has predicted that by the year-end, 73 percent of women and 69 percent of men in Qatar will be obese.
According to International Association for the Study of Obesity, Qatar has the sixth highest rate of obesity among boys in the Middle East and North Africa region. It is also ranked fifth for having the highest percentage of people between 20 and 79 with diabetes.
Currently, about 20 percent of the population suffer from diabetes. At least 50 of those who visited the previous ‘Kulluna for a Healthy Heart’ campaign booths at City Center Doha and The Mall had a body mass index (BMI) indicative of being overweight, according to Dr Khalid Abdulnoor Saifeldeen, Director, Hamad International Training Centre (HITC), Kulluna Chairman.
Besides, 25 percent had high blood pressure, 30 percent had high cholesterol and 15 percent high blood sugar.
Introduced in April 2013 by Hamad Medical Corporation’s HITC, and supported by its founding sponsor ConocoPhillips Qatar, the campaign aims to raise awareness about cardiovascular diseases, their prevention, available treatments and lifestyle changes that promote heart health among residents. The campaign has again received massive attention and support from the public, according to organisers.
The Peninsula
