Basketball star leads walk for diabetes

Kareem Abdul-Jabbar says moderation is key to tackle the condition as he interacts with hundreds of schoolchildren in Al Ain.

Kareem Abdul-Jabbar leads schoolchildren during a walk around Al Ain municipality ground. Ravindranath K / The National

AL AIN // He may have perfected the skyhook, but health does not have to be about a flawless lifestyle, says Kareem Abdul-Jabbar.

“People should not try for perfection – they need to try to improve,” the former American basketball star said.

Abdul-Jabbar, who despite retiring in 1989 remains the National Basketball Association’s all-time leading scorer, spoke to hundreds of schoolchildren and other attendees at the Take a Step for Diabetes Walk in Al Ain on Wednesday.

More than 400 pupils, aged between 6 and 13, from Indian School Al Ain and Brighton College Al Ain heard a presentation on healthy living and diabetes.

Abdul-Jabbar then led a walk around the municipality building.

Abdul-Jabbar said he was astounded to hear that diabetes was a big killer in the UAE, when many cases can be prevented through lifestyle changes.

The country ranks 15th in the world in terms of diabetes prevalence, with nearly 19 per cent of the population living with the condition, according to the International Diabetes Federation.

Promoting health is personal for Abdul-Jabbar, 67, whose mother had diabetes and who himself had leukaemia in 2009, although he has since fully recovered.

“When you have a threat like leukaemia in your life, you have to make some changes,” he said. “I’m very fortunate to be alive. I’m going to make the best of these years.”

He told the crowd that moderation was key and emphasised the need to avoid “empty calories”.

A pupil asked whether he liked vegetables.

“I really don’t like vegetables,” Abdul-Jabbar said, but added that his grandmother would “smack him” on the back of the head if he didn’t eat them, and he now ate them regularly.

One boy used the opportunity to ask how Abdul-Jabbar’s skills measured up to those of another American NBA star, Kobe Bryant.

“Do you think Kobe could beat you?” the boy asked.

“Kobe is only in his mid-30s and I’m 67, so we’ll never find that out,” he said.

Abdul-Jabbar, who played 14 seasons at LA Lakers, said he did not realise so many children at the event would be knowledgeable about basketball. “These kids are very well rehearsed in all the statistics ... it’s pretty amazing.”

Information about healthy habits led Emma Elam, 11, an American pupil at Brighton College Al Ain, to return home and ask her father to make a healthy meal, she said.

Yassmin Shawkri, 12, a Russian-Iraqi pupil at the same school, was also excited, having played basketball for four years.

Young people are more receptive to hearing about good health from someone like an athlete, said Bashar Al Ramahi, chief executive of Imperial College London Diabetes Centre, which organised the event. When the proper message goes to younger generations, “they accept it much more easily than the older generation”, Mr Al Ramahi said.

“They are much more receptive to accept it.”

Abdul-Jabbar’s long athletic career was testimony to his fitness and lifestyle, making him a good ambassador for raising awareness about diabetes in the UAE, Mr Al Ramahi said.

There is a misconception here that diabetes is a disease for the elderly, as well as misunderstandings about what food is healthy and what is not, he said. “The most important message that I want everybody to get is that diabetes is preventable.”

A brisk, 30-minute walk five days a week can prevent type 2 diabetes. “This disease doesn’t have to be the big problem that it is today.”

The Al Ain event was the first walk as part of the Take a Step for Diabetes Week. About 4,000 people have signed up for the main event on Yas Island on November 7.

Readers are invited to read Friday’s paper, when Kareem Abdul-Jabbar will be our guest editor and promote healthy living.