Diabetes

Indo-US Diabetes Coalition Calls for Attention to Diabetes Prevention

Week-long campaign organised to draw attention to diabetes

On the occasion of the World Diabetes Day (November 14), a new group focused on diabetes prevention among younger generations in India, the Indo-US Diabetes Coalition was launched. Reinforcing the theme for this year's World Diabetes Day—Diabetes Education and Prevention—the Diabetes Coalition, a network of concerned individuals, urged young Indians to pay attention to healthy living and strive to prevent diabetes.

At a press briefing called by the Diabetes Coalition, medical experts, NGOs, youth organisations and members of civil society agreed that ‘diabetes can and must be prevented’. As part of its efforts to spark an interest in healthy living in young people and their communities, the Diabetes Coalition and several of its partners, including The Public Health Foundation of India (PHFI), Health Related Information Dissemination Amongst Youth (HRIDAY-SHAN) and Centre for Chronic Disease Control (CCDC), together organised a week-long campaign to draw attention to diabetes. The campaign involved 40 school-centered walks throughout Delhi that took place earlier a week before the world diabetes day to raise awareness of diabetes and its prevention.

Recognising the alarming burden of diabetes in India, the Diabetes Coalition and partners presented a Memorandum of Requests to Gursharan Kaur, the wife of Prime Minister of India Dr Manmohan Singh, seeking her support, urgent attention and action to aid diabetes prevention in India. About 4,000 students, teachers and parents who participated in the diabetes prevention awareness walks were signatories to the Memorandum, as were several prominent organisations, and individuals from different sectors of society.

Emphasising a healthy diet and physical activity in diabetes prevention, Prof K Srinath Reddy, a key member of the Indo-US Diabetes Coalition's Scientific Steering Committee, said, "Though India is the diabetes capital of the world, there is clear evidence that people can protect themselves from diabetes by eating a healthy diet of whole grain cereals, vegetables and nuts and by being physically active throughout the day. It is especially important to protect children and adolescents from overweight and sedentary lifestyle."

Emphasising the importance of diabetes prevention and control activities, Dr Nikhil Tandon, eminent endocrinologist from the All India Institute of Medical Sciences and an active member of the Scientific Steering Committee of the Indo-US Diabetes Coalition, said, "Prevention of diabetes has become a key aim for healthcare professionals and there is consensus that every opportunity should be used to educate people about strategies for diabetes prevention. Pivotal clinical studies have clearly shown that diabetes is preventable, at least in individuals who have a high risk for the disease. Medical practitioners and public health experts the world over agree that what is most needed now to reduce the burden of diabetes at the population level are lifestyle interventions such as exercise and diet."

"We believe we are at the beginning of an important movement to shape India's health," said Dr Nalini Saligram, who started the Indo-US Diabetes Coalition. "We also call on the Indian Government to implement effective strategies and policies for diabetes prevention. Using advocacy and awareness, our aim is to bring about social change that galvanizes young Indians to take up exercise and reduce unhealthy eating for long-term health benefits," he added.

Today, abut 230 million people live with diabetes in the world, a figure that has gone up from only 30 million in 1985 (International Diabetes Federation - IDF); this figure is expected to grow to 438 million by 2030. Every 10 seconds a person dies from diabetes-related causes. Diabetes is increasing faster in the world's developing economies than in developed countries. According to the World Health Organisation, by 2025 three fourths of the world's people with diabetes will be living in developing countries. India has the world's largest population of people with diabetes: 40 million, which is expected to double to 87 million by 2030 (IDF).

EH News Bureau