By Shobha Shukla
The year 2011 marks the 21st anniversary of World Diabetes Day, the primary global awareness campaign of the diabetes community, which was launched Nov. 14, 1991, by the International Diabetes Federation (IDF) and World Health Organization (WHO) to draw attention to the already high number of people living with diabetes at that time (more than 100 million). But the situation seems to have worsened with every passing year.
Recent figures released by IDF paint a scary picture of the diabetes epidemic showing no signs of abatement. Worldwide, 366 million people are now living with the disease and many more are at risk.
Diabetes is responsible for 4.6 million deaths a year and is among the top 10 causes of disability resulting in devastating complications, such as blindness and lower limb amputations.
All nations rich and poor are suffering its impact, and the disease is hitting the poorest hardest. It is an increasing burden on the global health system, costing an estimated $500 billion a year.
Keeping in mind this dismal scenario, the IDF and WHO are calling upon thousands of people from more than 170 countries to join together to Act On Diabetes Now – the theme of this year’s World Diabetes Day – with a view to put diabetes firmly in the public spotlight and take corrective action. The reasons for this almost fourfold increase in the incidence of diabetes over 21 years could be manifold.
According to IDF Communications Coordinator Lorenzo Piemonte, “Diabetes is strongly linked to urbanization, which is the case in many developing countries where 80 percent of new diabetes cases are happening. As people have access to more wealth, they adopt more western lifestyles, which results in an increased risk to developing Type 2 diabetes, the most common form of the disease. It is often still considered the rich man’s disease, but the numbers show that it hits the poor man the hardest even in developed countries, and is increasing in every country of the world with a disproportionate impact on the developing countries.”
Gourdas Choudhuri, head of the Gastroenterology Department at the Sanjay Gandhi Postgraduate Institute of Medical Sciences, said, “If we have the genes, it definitely makes us more prone to diabetes, but it does not mean that we will necessarily develop the disease. A very high consumption of sugar and fat, much more than what the body needs, makes our bodies fertile ground for diabetes. … Another reason is lack of exercise and sedentary life habits both in adults and children.”
So what is the best step forward? Choudhuri firmly believes that “we need to exercise well, and eat healthy. Exercise not only brings the body weight down, it also improves glucose metabolism. It is also absolutely necessary to have healthy food options available in the market. It is a good sign that multinational fast food chains, which used to sell only calorie-loaded dishes like burgers and pizzas, are slowly succumbing to the demands of health-conscious people, and have started selling salads too.
“I cannot overemphasize the importance of schools in inculcating good eating habits and healthy lifestyles in students. Several things need to change at the school level. Firstly, school timings are getting shorter, and the whole emphasis is on academics and scholastic achievements. A comprehensive development of the child is taking a back seat. Secondly, the extent of games and sports activities has come down sharply, probably because of lack of available time in school. This needs to be dealt with on a serious footing. We need a more inclusive approach to physical activities, and regular use of the games field should be made compulsory for all, and not just for those who are good at athletics.”
In September, the U.N. High Level Summit on Non-Communicable Diseases, held in New York, brought diabetes to the attention of world leaders and put it on the global health agenda. Mr. Piemonte rightly feels that “Nov. 14 presents the perfect opportunity to build on the momentum generated by the summit and produces a powerful and united voice calling on governments and decision makers to deliver on their commitments, which they made in September, to tackle the epidemic.”
If nothing is done to prevent a further increase, we would be looking at over half a billion people living with diabetes within a generation. So let us all join hands to help make a difference and achieve a healthy future.
On the eve of this week’s World Diabetes Day, the famous Taj Mahal of India for the first time bathed in blue light, joining scores of other monuments worldwide to show solidarity in the fight against diabetes.
Shobha Shukla is managing editor of Citizen News Service. She is a J2J Fellow of the National Press Foundation USA, has worked with the State Planning Institute and taught physics at India’s prestigious Loreto Convent for more than three decades. Email her at shobha@citizen-news.org or visit www.citizen-news.org.
