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In South Africa, 16% of 13-year-olds and 26% of 19-year-olds are overweight or obese, which is a major cause of diabetes.
Inactive lifestyles and unhealthy eating habits enhance the risk of obesity and diabetes. However, such lifestyle patterns are becoming increasingly common all over the world - including countries in Sub-Saharan Africa with raising incidences of the so-called non-communicable diseases (NCD) like diabetes and cardiovascular diseases as the result.
Yet, many people especially in developing countries are not only faced with the risk of NCDs; communicable diseases or infectious diseases like HIV are simultaneously taking a serious toll on the populations.
Approach
This project is carried out by the Danish Gymnastics and Sports Association (DGI) in collaboration with the South African Gymnastics Federation (SAGF) and is supported by the Royal Danish Embassy in Pretoria and the World Diabetes Foundation.
The Diabetes Association of South Africa provides the diabetes expertise, a local NGO called loveLife provides information on HIV/AIDS and Novo Nordisk South Africa allocates its Changing Diabetes Bus to attend the workshop sites.
The National Danish Performance Team (NDPT) under DGI travels around South Africa, Swaziland and Mozambique as part of their world tour in October 2008. In total, 10-12 performances will be held covering 4 provinces of South Africa and the capitals of Swaziland and Mozambique.
In connection with the gymnastics performances, workshops for youth and children will be conducted. Each workshop will have 2-300 participants and will last for 2-3 hours. The workshops will have a focus on diabetes and HIV/AIDS with the aim of changing young people's behaviours and encourage healthy and active lifestyles and thereby reducing the risk of diseases.
The performances and workshops will target vulnerable youth since they are particularly prone to be facing the double burden of disease posed by e.g. diabetes and HIV/AIDS.
During the performances and workshops, gymnastics and an active lifestyle will be promoted as a fun and empowering activity and information on diabetes and HIV/AIDS prevention will be disseminated. For the latter, a booklet/manual containing information on diabetes and HIV/AIDS and various activities and games will be produced.
The professional young performers of the NDPT will act as informal peer educators when talking and interacting with the youth and children, and will be functioning as role models and thus instigate positive changes towards more active lifestyles. | 
