JEDDAH — Bupa Arabia has successfully concluded its “Walk Your Heart” campaign in cooperation with the Ministry of Health to promote a healthy lifestyle among Saudis and expatriate residents. “Obesity is on the rise in the Kingdom with the latest report from the Saudi Diabetes and Endocrinology Society stating that among the middle-aged Saudi population 34 percent of men and 45 percent of women are obese, a figure that is drastically high and affecting nearly everyone's lives either directly or indirectly,” said Tal Nazer, CEO of Bupa Arabia. He said his company's objective in launching the “Walk Your Heart” campaign was to encourage people to have a more active lifestyle and make walking a routine habit. Over 4,000 people took part in the “Walk Your Heart” campaign, and 2,330 of them completed the 1,400 meter designated route within Red Sea Mall passing by various educational health tips and environmental reminders. Upon reaching the finish line participants qualified to enter a draw for a free family trip to Dubai and other valuable prizes. Participants also got a chance to vote for charitable causes such as Orphans, Disabled Children's Association or the National Home Health Care Foundation. The cause receiving the most votes received the allocated fund as a donation from Bupa Arabia. In addition, Bupa Arabia made available a “Health Lounge,” with small clinics that offered quick and accurate medical checkups as well as two specialized clinics devoted to diabetes and smoking cessation sponsored by the Ministry of Health. The clinics received over 600 visitors. Nearly 150 volunteers, consisting of Bupa Arabia employees and others worked hard to make the event a resounding success. Celebrities including Saudi rap singer Qusai Khider, media presenter Ahmad Al-Shugairi lent their support. Dr. Obai Al-Bashir, Dr. Rayan Karkadan, Ibrahim Kherallah and Nawaf Al-Thufairi from the Mizan Corporation Team as well as students of Dar Al-Fikr and King Abdulaziz University were also instrumental. To further encourage people to adopt a healthier lifestyle, Bupa Arabia devised a way for family members and friends to share in the activity by developing a smartphone application that allows each individual participant to count the number of steps they walk in a day. To make it more fun-filled, the application allows users to share and invite friends through Facebook, Twitter and Instagram. The “Walk Your Heart” application is available in both IOS and Android platforms. The competition will still be active for few months. Bupa Arabia is the first specialized medical insurer in Saudi Arabia to proactively work for the public in providing increased health awareness by putting its medical expertise at the service of the community, said a company release. — SG
