Abu Dhabi: NBA legend and Imperial College London Diabetes Centre (ICLDC) ambassador Kareem Abdul Jabar was in Abu Dhabi on Tuesday to help promote the Walk 2014 event at Yas Marina Circuit.

Around 20,000 people are expected to converge at the F1 track in Abu Dhabi for the eighth edition of the event, which is set for November 7.

Abdul Jabbar joined representatives of ICLDC, Health Authority Abu Dhabi (HAAD), national health insurance company Daman and Yas Marina to help support diabetes awareness with the launch of Walk 2014.

The event organised by ICLDC and supported by Daman, is the UAE’s longest-running public health awareness initiative.

LA Lakers hero Abdul Jabbar has already taken part in the social media campaign that supports ‘Take a Step for Diabetes’ by posting a ‘shoe-selfie’, and is in the UAE all this week in the lead-up to Walk 2014.

An array of new programmes are also being launched as part of Walk 2014, including a ‘big-data’ initiative that will confidentially record body mass index (BMI) data of willing participants in a bid to actively track levels of activity and health in the community. The results will be published in an effort to encourage the development of new community wellness programmes and activities.

Also new this year is the introduction of ‘Health-X’, a community-oriented health and wellbeing forum aimed at encouraging better conversations and idea-sharing between healthcare practitioners.

“The continued efforts to put healthier living at the top of the health agenda is something that we are very pleased to offer our wholehearted support to,” said Professor Maha Barakat, Director General of HAAD.

“Increasing awareness of such important health issues as regular exercise and proper nutrition is one of our core tenets at HAAD. One of our priorities is to increase awareness on diabetes and other life-threatening conditions and the means to prevent them.”

ICLDC, a subsidiary of Mubadala Healthcare, organises the annual Walk event as part of its Diabetes-Knowledge-Action public health awareness campaign.

Suhail Mahmoud Al Ansari, Executive Director of Mubadala Healthcare and Chairman of ICLDC, said: “This event puts important issues affecting the UAE, such as the high prevalence of diabetes and obesity, at the top of everyone’s minds.

“Over the past eight years, the Walk has stood for a community-wide pledge to bring awareness to diabetes, and shine light on the steps each of us can take to manage, and even prevent, diabetes.”

Walk 2014 will be held under the patronage of Her Highness Shaikha Fatima Bint Mubarak Al Nahyan, Chairperson of the General Women’s Union and Supreme Chairperson of the Family Development Foundation.