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World Diabetes Day 2010 - “Let’s Take Control of Diabetes Now”

by Savitha C Muppala on Nov 12 2010 1:56 PM
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Objectives of World Diabetes Day 2010    

  • Understand diabetes risks and discern warning signals     
  • Be Aware of how to respond and who to approach   
  • Educate yourself in diabetes management and know how to take control.
World Diabetes Day (WDD) which falls on 14th November every year came into inception in 1991 and was the brain child of the International Diabetes Federation and the World Health Organization and primarily was an answer to tackle the increasing numbers of diabetes cases worldwide.  In collaboration with member associations, the International Diabetes Federation (IDF) disseminates vital education on management and prevention of diabetes, all through the year.  This is the second year of the five year campaign 2009-2013, which will seek to advance the goals of the main theme “ Diabetes education and prevention” with specific focus on the theme for World Diabetes Day 2010 - 'Let's take control of diabetes now.'  

Importance of Diabetes Education and Prevention  

In keeping with the main theme of Diabetes Education and Prevention, the initiatives sound a wake-up call to all those who can make a difference to diabetes.

For instance,

• People at the helm of affairs in healthcare and in the government need to improve strategies and policies for diabetes care and management.

• Victims must appreciate the power of knowledge about the condition which is the route to better management of the disease and avert its major complications.

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• For the rest, it is to understand the risks and warning signs of diabetes to catch it early. 

In effect, The World Diabetes Day 2010, endeavors to spread greater awareness of the risk factors of diabetes and inspire best-practices in the prevention and treatment of diabetes.  

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Diabetes Education

Managing diabetes is easier with awareness and knowledge about the disease. Victims of diabetes are required to take medication, check and monitor their blood glucose,, make appropriate lifestyle changes, adopt a certain degree of physical fitness, and adjust to a diabetes- friendly diet.  So, victims have to constantly take decisions which will impact the management of the disease.

Diabetes education plays a crucial role as it helps families make informed decisions. It is therefore of paramount importance that skilled health professionals impart superior quality diabetes education customized to victims’ needs.  Education will also better equip victims to address the psycho-social issues as well as to make behavioral changes, all of which will give them an advantage in taking control of diabetes.

On the flip side, lack of education will result in reduced health outcomes and increased risk of diabetes related complications.

Challenges

The overriding challenges to providing diabetes education worldwide are cost, lack of proper services and distance.  Further, people are unaware of the existence of such services and many are of the opinion that the consultation with their physician suffices.  

The World Diabetes Day recognizes that structured diabetes education programmes are sacrosanct to the prevention and control of diabetes. 

There is a need for improving diabetes education within healthcare systems and communities. The IDF is mainly working to address lacunae in diabetes education worldwide. Focus has shifted to improving diabetes education in developing countries, where there are not enough educators or centers that can impart dedicated diabetes awareness.  To address this problem, The IDF proposes to set up a strong network of diabetes education centers that can take diabetes education forward.  

Diabetes Prevention

More than 285 million people worldwide are battling diabetes and according to predictions by IDF, this figure may go up to 435 million by 2030, especially in the absence of diabetes education and prevention programmes. This makes prevention of diabetes an important goal during 2009-2013.

Though Type 1 diabetes cannot be prevented, Type 2 diabetes can be offset by making lifestyle changes- maintaining weight, eating healthy and regular exercise.  China, Finland and the United States are shining examples of success in management of diabetes with lifestyle modifications, and should be a template for other nations to follow.

As a first step, it is imperative to identify all those at high risk of developing Type 2 diabetes with the help of a simple questionnaire that will evaluate risk factors such as age, gestational history, cardiovascular history, and waist circumference. Once identified, people at high risk of diabetes should undergo evaluation of their plasma glucose levels to check for Impaired Fasting Glucose or Impaired Glucose Tolerance, which are pointers for risk of Type 2 Diabetes. 

Risk factors of Type 2 Diabetes:

• Family history of diabetes
• Sedentary lifestyle
• Obesity
• Glucose intolerance
• Lack of exercise
• High cholesterol
• Hypertension
• Consumption of fatty foods
• Ethnicity (Hispanics, Indigenous peoples, Asians  and African Americans have shown greater incidences of diabetes)
• History of gestational diabetes

Evidence based studies have showed that Type 2 diabetes can be offset with regular exercise and weight management. It is here that the role of the healthcare expert as educator assumes great significance to assist people in understanding the risks of diabetes and focus on practical goals to prevent its onset.

It is recommended that those at high risk of Type 2 diabetes undertake at least 30 minutes of daily exercise, which could be swimming, cycling, dancing, or brisk walking. Research has shown that regular walking for at least 30 minutes cuts the risk of Type 2 diabetes by 35-40%.

Investing in diabetes education and prevention programmes will be a shot in the arm for the nation’s economy as well as the healthcare system. Further, education about the condition may bail many victims out of the life threatening complications and those at high risk of diabetes may just be able to avoid it altogether.

Source-Medindia


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