Over 7,000 take part in diabetes walk 

(MENAFN - Muscat Daily) More than 7,000 people turned up for the 2012 edition of the Beat Diabetes Walkathon organised by the Landmark Group on Friday. The third of its kind, the walkathon was flagged off from Centrepoint, Ruwi, with the aim of spreading awareness about diabetes among the people of Oman. It was organised under the patronage of the Ministry of Health and Oman Diabetes Association and was part of various programmes and activities led by the Landmark Group on diabetes. The Friday event also had activities for children and free blood sugar and blood pressure level tests.Clive Freeman, COO, Landmark Group Oman, said, ''Our aim was to spread awareness about diabetes, to give people enough knowledge on the condition to help them make informed choices, and encourage people to regularly test their blood glucose level.''As per Oman Diabetes Association records, the number of Omanis with diabetes registered at MoH institutions has surpassed 170,000. The prevalence of diabetes among adults is currently estimated at 12.3 per cent, which is slightly more than the reported figure in 2000.Dr Noor al Busaidi, the association president said, ''Diabetes has become a very serious concern across the globe, especially in the sultanate, where the incidence of diabetes is extremely high. This is the result of several factors like unhealthy and sedentary lifestyle, poor eating habits and lack of exercise. With the support of people, we can spread awareness, beat diabetes and live a healthy life.''