Baghdad, 5 December 2018 ─ As part of celebrations to mark the National Day for Physical Activity in Iraq, WHO, the Ministry of Health and other partners held a marathon event in al-Zawra’ Park in Baghdad on 29 November 2018. The marathon, which covered a distance of 2 kilometres, aimed to increase awareness of the importance of physical activity and its positive impact on health and well-being.
More than 350 people, including men and women from civil society organizations and government ministries, boys and girls of school-going age, and children with special needs and from care homes, participated in the event under the theme “Physical activity can have immediate and long-term health benefits; regular activity can improve life quality”.
Health messages regarding the role that exercise can play in improving health and reducing the risk of developing diseases such as diabetes, cancer and cardiovascular disease were disseminated during the event.
The Iraqi National STEP survey of 2015 found that 50 per cent of adults over 18 years in Iraq do not exercise. According to a technical expert from the WHO Iraq country office, “An estimated 30% of adults in the country are obese, and about a third of the population is overweight. Obesity and overweight increase the risk of four major diseases, namely heart and arterial disease, hypertension, diabetes, and respiratory diseases. This causes 55% of all deaths that occur annually among the Iraqi people, 22% of which occurs among people aged 30 to 70 years”.
The Walk the Talk global initiative, being undertaken by WHO, partners, stakeholders and ministries of health in all countries, aligns with the recommendations made in the National Strategy for Prevention and Control of Noncommunicable Diseases in Iraq.
For more information please contact:
World Health Organization, Iraq Country Office
Ms G. AlMayahi
Email: This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.
Tel: +964 782 788 6765
Ms Pauline Ajello
Email: This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.
Tel: +964 751 010 1460
Baghdad, 5 December 2018 ─ As part of celebrations to mark the National Day for Physical Activity in Iraq, WHO, the Ministry of Health and other partners held a marathon event in al-Zawra’ Park in Baghdad on 29 November 2018. The marathon, which covered a distance of 2 kilometres, aimed to increase awareness of the importance of physical activity and its positive impact on health and well-being.
More than 350 people, including men and women from civil society organizations and government ministries, boys and girls of school-going age, and children with special needs and from care homes, participated in the event under the theme “Physical activity can have immediate and long-term health benefits; regular activity can improve life quality”.
Health messages regarding the role that exercise can play in improving health and reducing the risk of developing diseases such as diabetes, cancer and cardiovascular disease were disseminated during the event.
The Iraqi National STEP survey of 2015 found that 50 per cent of adults over 18 years in Iraq do not exercise. According to a technical expert from the WHO Iraq country office, “An estimated 30% of adults in the country are obese, and about a third of the population is overweight. Obesity and overweight increase the risk of four major diseases, namely heart and arterial disease, hypertension, diabetes, and respiratory diseases. This causes 55% of all deaths that occur annually among the Iraqi people, 22% of which occurs among people aged 30 to 70 years”.
The Walk the Talk global initiative, being undertaken by WHO, partners, stakeholders and ministries of health in all countries, aligns with the recommendations made in the National Strategy for Prevention and Control of Noncommunicable Diseases in Iraq.
For more information please contact:
World Health Organization, Iraq Country Office
Ms G. AlMayahi
Email: This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.
Tel: +964 782 788 6765
Ms Pauline Ajello
Email: This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.
Tel: +964 751 010 1460
