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City Centre Bahrain is offering complimentary cardiovascular health tests for women this coming weekend as part of owner Majid Al Futtaim’s regional health awareness campaign: ‘Feel the Beat.’
The popular mall’s management has teamed up with King Hamad University Hospital (KHUH) to provide medical professionals and administer a series of preventative tests including measurement of blood pressure, blood sugar and body mass index (BMI).
Additionally, visitors can adopt a hands-on approach by learning about CPR from the live educational demonstrations at City Centre Bahrain on Friday and Saturday.
David Fletcher, the hospital’s practical training chief, said: “Cardiovascular disease – heart disease and stroke – is the biggest killer of women globally.
“Educating women greatly increases their willingness and ability to take heart-protective action, which is why King Hamad University Hospital in collaboration with Al Futtaim Group and the American Heart Association is spearheading the Feel the Beat campaign in Bahrain.
“Women will be informed that heart disease and stroke are their number one killers, and that they can take appropriate action to prevent them.
“When looking at the burden of risk factors among healthy subjects in the GCC region, the prevalence of obesity in adult females is one of the highest worldwide.
“Reports show a high prevalence of diabetes, hypertension, smoking, and obesity among acute coronary syndrome (ACS) patients in the Gulf countries. The highest rates of the risk factors, except smoking, were in Bahrain and Kuwait.”
Visitors to the mall will be seen by a doctor at the Feel the Beat campaign arena and will be advised to see their family physician if they are found to be at risk of heart disease.
If diagnosed to be at risk they will be given useful advice on how to address the situation such as:
In a determined bid to raise awareness on cardiovascular health in the kingdom women will have their height, weight, BMI and blood pressure recorded. A simple finger-stick test will be performed to obtain a drop of blood for random blood sugar level checks.
“Enabling women to take control of their heart health through preventative measures and making informed decisions about their health can be optimised through a simple screening at the lifestyle destination City Centre Bahrain,” said Duaij Khalifa Al Rumaihi, senior mall manager for City Centre Bahrain. “As part of our vision to create great moments for everyone, everyday, we hope to serve our communities by going even further and beyond the shopping experience.”
Cardiovascular diseases have emerged as the leading cause of death in most countries in the Middle East, causing 45 per cent of early deaths in the Gulf region, and women are not spared despite the common beliefs that this issue mainly concerns men.
The theme of the campaign – ‘Feel the Beat’ – was chosen as it refers to the sound of a heartbeat while also referring to music, which can be a great companion when it comes to getting motivation in adopting a healthy lifestyle and exercising.
‘Feel the Beat’ initiative will see Majid Al Futtaim offer preventative heart health testing for women across its 14 shopping malls in five countries. Alongside Bahrain participating malls are in the UAE, Oman, Egypt and Lebanon.
For more information, visit: www.Facebook.com/CityCentreBahrain or www.citycentrebahrain.com - the Feel the Beat sessions at City Centre Bahrain’s ground floor central galleria will take place on Friday from 10am to 10pm and on Saturday from 10am to 9pm.
