CASTRIES, St Lucia: The St Lucia Diabetes and Hypertensive Association(SLDHA) will be holding its Annual Fun Walk on November 30, 2008 and the walk will be the closing event for the Association's annual Diabetes Awareness Month.
"The Diabetes Fun Walk has been growing bigger each year and this year we are looking forward to our biggest participation ever," said George Eugene CEO of the SLDHA.
The Fun Walk is one of two health-related events that the association has organized for Diabetes Awareness Month. The other event is a junior walk on November 21, 2008 for schools in the south of the island. The junior walk is organized with the assistance of the Department of Youth and Sports.
"Diabetes in Youth and Children" is the theme for this years' World Diabetes Day, the same as it was last year. The reason for this extended focus is that growing numbers of children in St Lucia and around the world are getting Type 2 Diabetes, which was previously regarded as a disease for persons over forty years.
Some of the aims of focusing on youth and children are to:
- Raise awareness of the warning signs of diabetes and encourage initiatives to reduce it.
- Promote healthy lifestyles to help prevent type-2 diabetes in children.
"The Junior Walk is in-keeping with the Sport and Wellness Program of the Youth and Sports Department and we think that involving the children will encourage them in making healthier choices about their lives at an early age," noted Eugene.
The SLDHA has so far identified thirty young persons in St Lucia who have diabetes. The association believes there are more children with the disease and is making an appeal to parents to have their children screened. Screening services are offered at all Health Centers in St Lucia and at the Association's Headquarters. |
