UAE: Win up to Dh5,000 when you lose weight, lower blood sugar levels in diabetes challenge

RAK Diabetes Challenge, a community initiative that will see participants win cash prizes of up to Dh5,000 for making lifestyle changes, is back for its second edition.

Launched by RAK Hospital in collaboration with the Ministry of Health and Prevention- Ras Al Khaimah, the three-month-long health challenge is exclusively designed for individuals with an HbA1C (average blood sugar) level of 5.7 and above. They are encouraged to make dietary adjustments and exercise regularly to manage and even reverse diabetes.

How to join: Registration via hospital website starts on August 14 and will be open for 6 days until August 20. RAK Diabetes Challenge will culminate on World Diabetes Day, November 14.

RAK Hospital said over 5,000 participants from across the UAE are expected to take part in categories: Physical, Virtual, and Corporate.

Prizes

The Physical Category winners (top 3 male and top 3 female) will receive cash prizes as follows: grand winner (male & female) Dh5,000 each; 2nd place (male & female): Dh3000 each and 3rd place (male & female) Dh2,000 each.

Virtual category winners (top 3 male and top 3 female) will get complimentary RAK Hospital Swiss Health Check vouchers & other prizes, including staycations in 5-star properties and gym memberships, among other exciting rewards. The Top 10, Male & Female participants will also be rewarded with attractive prizes whereas the winning Corporate Team will receive the a champions trophy.

Empowering individuals

Dr Raza Siddiqui, RAK Hospital executive director, said: “Through this campaign, we once again aim to empower individuals on their journey to improved health by imparting essential knowledge and awareness regarding healthy lifestyle practices.”

“Our campaign is meticulously crafted to enlighten people about the complexities of (diabetes), guiding them towards reduced reliance on medication through the dissemination of accurate information and advocating a healthier lifestyle. Lifestyle modifications can effectively prevent individuals in the pre-diabetic phase from advancing to full-blown diabetes. By offering tailored diabetes management plans, personalised advice on nutrition, physical fitness, sleep, stress management, and judicious medicine usage, we empower participants to take control of their health and well-being,” he underlined.

Previous winners

Last year, Sharjah resident and teacher Bahawooddin Saiyed, emerged as the overall winner in the Physical Category (Male). He achieved an overall index improvement of 38.38 per cent marked by around 50 per cent reduction in HbA1C levels to 5.8 and a weight loss of 11kg. Saira Waseem Malik won in the female category after demonstrating a total improvement of 28.73 per cent.

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