Imperial College London Diabetes Centre (ICLDC) has launched a major new social media campaign in an effort to get people to ‘Take a Step for Diabetes’ and boost registrations for WALK 2014.

ICLDC is a leading advocate of a healthier lifestyle and has launched the #WALK2014 social media campaign to encourage people to consider their lifestyle habits.

Once people have registered online, ICLDC encourages them to share a photo of their shoes with the hashtag #WALK2014 across social media platforms to nominate their friends to also take part.

“Taking the health and fitness message directly to the public through the #WALK2014 social media campaign is a very effective way of increasing awareness and pushing people to get involved,” said Bashar Al Ramahi, ICLDC CEO.

“It is well known that the UAE has a high prevalence of diabetes and obesity, and that’s partially down to people not taking enough exercise or eating a balanced, healthy diet.”

Held under the royal patronage of Her Highness Sheikha Fatima bint Mubarak, WALK 2014 will take place at Yas Marina Circuit on Friday 7 November.

More than 20,000 people are expected to turn up in support of the centre’s ongoing quest to change people’s lifestyles for the better.

Registration for the eighth edition of WALK 2014 opens on Thursday 11 September, and people of all fitness levels are welcome to join the cause.

This year’s edition will also see the inclusion of a regional first – a comprehensive health audit undertaken at the event.

Teams on the ground will be measuring WALK participants’ body mass index compared to Abu Dhabi residents, and will also determine whether WALK increases activity levels in the short and long terms.

The audit will provide a clearer picture of fitness levels in the UAE and its results will be published shortly afterwards.