Diabetes Care Watch: 10-15 November 2009

Diabetes Care Watch: 10-15 November 2009
Issue 37
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World Diabetes Day special edition

The Diabetes-Care Watch provides a weekly snapshot of five major news pieces on diabetes-care from around the world, including news highlights from diabetes high-burdened countries and links to major diabetes-related events or other advocacy opportunities. This is issue 37 (10-15 November 2009).
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Top two videos on Diabetes this week:
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1. Turn Off the Diabetes Tap - Turn Media On!
- "1st Most Viewed Video in Non-Profit" (Honour by YouTube.com)
2. An Exclusive Interview with Minister of Public Health Thailand in lead up to the World Diabetes Day 2009
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Top five news on Diabetes-Care-Watch this week
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November 14: World Diabetes Day
Over 800 Iconic Monuments to Light in Blue as Millions Mark World Diabetes Day
(Source: Citizen News Service - CNS)
November 14 marks World Diabetes Day - a global awareness campaign led by the International Diabetes Federation (IDF) that highlights the diabetes epidemic and aims to bring hope to the 285 million people living with diabetes worldwide. World Diabetes Day has been celebrated since 1991, when it was first created by the International Diabetes Federation and the World Health Organization. It is celebrated each year on 14 November, a date chosen to mark the birthday of Sir Frederick Banting, who is credited with the discovery of insulin. An official United Nation’s Day, World Diabetes Day is represented by the blue circle logo that is the global symbol of diabetes. This year sees the first of a five-year campaign that addresses the growing need for diabetes education and prevention programmes to tackle diabetes and its life-threatening complications. Read more

Healthy living prevents diabetes and obesity
(Source: Citizen News Service - CNS)
Today is World Diabetes Day – a day to reflect upon why India has become the diabetes capital of the world with 50.8 million (7.1%) of its people suffering from diabetes. It is high time we prepared to combat this menace and curb its spread. As the new President of International Diabetes Federation (IDF) has rightly remarked that either we turn off the diabetes tap or else spend our lives mopping the floor. We Indians are genetically more prone to diabetes. On top of this, a rapid shift in our dietary habits and life styles is resulting in a rapid rise in obesity, diabetes, metabolic syndrome and heart disease. Hence a proper and healthy diet remains the cornerstone of prevention and management of these diseases. Read more

Thailand ups diabetes prevention and education
(Source: Jay Inspire Inc and Citizen News Service - CNS)
In Thailand, more than 3 million people are living with diabetes. There is an urgent need to scale up the diabetes prevention and education, says Wittaya Kaewparadai, Minister of Public Health, Thailand.According to the International Diabetes Federation (IDF), diabetes education and prevention is the World Diabetes Day theme for the period 2009-2013. The World Diabetes Day campaign calls on all those responsible for diabetes care to understand diabetes and take control. "We have to educate Thai people to prevent getting diabetes by reducing the risk and modifying lifestyles and consumption behaviours," says Wittaya. "More than 980,000 health volunteers are sent by the Ministry to conduct surveys and provide diabetes-related education to encourage people to reduce consumption of food that

increases their vulnerability to diabetes, like sweets. There is a need to pay more attention to healthcare and healthy lifestyles," says Wittaya. Read more

Turn off the diabetes tap - Turn media on!
(Source: Citizen News Service - CNS)
Diabetes is one disease that can be influenced by the consumption of unhealthy foods. There are approximately 285 million or roughly 7% of the world’s adult population affected by diabetes. The use of media tools on health care promotions and campaigning is growing but much more needs to be done to ensure that more positive messages reach a greater number of people in the world. The media can be used as a tool to spread disease prevention messages. "Either we spend all our time mopping the floor, or we get up and turn off the tap," said Professor Jean Claude Mbanya, the new president of International Diabetes Federation (IDF) during the 20th World Diabetes Congress held in Canada. Read more

Diabetes in Zimbabwe: It's not all about Sugar
(Source: Citizen News Service - CNS)
Most people in Zimbabwe associate diabetes with a high intake of sugar, particularly in tea. Little to no other foods are associated with the onset of this condition. Put simply, very few people know that eating too much of carbohydrates, fats, proteins can increase the incidence of diabetes. I discovered later that diabetes mellitus occurs when the pancreas does not make enough or any of the hormone insulin, or when the insulin produced doesn't work effectively. In diabetes, this causes the level of glucose in the blood to be too high. According to experts, the number of people with diabetes in Zimbabwe is growing. In 2003, Zimbabwe recorded more than 90 000 cases of diabetes, an increased of 3 000 from the 1997 figure. Read more
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This is produced by Citizen News Service (CNS - India/Thailand) and Jay Inspire Inc Thailand

November 14: World Diabetes Day: Over 800 Iconic Monuments to Light in Blue as Millions Mark World Diabetes Day

November 14: World Diabetes Day

Over 800 Iconic Monuments to Light in Blue as Millions Mark World Diabetes Day

November 14 marks World Diabetes Day - a global awareness campaign led by the International Diabetes Federation (IDF) that highlights the diabetes epidemic and aims to bring hope to the 285 million people living with diabetes worldwide.

World Diabetes Day has been celebrated since 1991, when it was first created by the International Diabetes Federation and the World Health Organization. It is celebrated each year on 14 November, a date chosen to mark the birthday of Sir Frederick Banting, who is credited with the discovery of insulin. An official United Nation’s Day, World Diabetes Day is represented by the blue circle logo that is the global symbol of diabetes. This year sees the first of a five-year campaign that addresses the growing need for diabetes education and prevention programmes to tackle diabetes and its life-threatening complications.

The World Diabetes Day campaign aims to establish access to diabetes education as a right for all people with diabetes, to promote greater awareness of the risk factors and warning signs of diabetes, and encourage best-practice sharing in diabetes prevention.

Globe Goes Blue for World Diabetes Day
Throughout the world, over 800 iconic monuments will light in the colour of the diabetes blue circle to help bring the diabetes epidemic to light. The monuments participating in the IDF Blue Monument Challenge include: the Burj al Arab in the United Arab Emirates, the Brandenburger Tor in Germany, Christ the Redeemer in Brazil, the Empire State Building in the USA, Niagara Falls in Canada, the London Eye in the United Kingdom, the Sydney Opera House in Australia, Table Mountain in South Africa, Place de la Concorde in France and Tokyo Tower in Japan.

In addition to the lightings, hundreds of events will take place worldwide to mark the day, from individual acts of celebration to community-based activities. Examples include Desert Dingo Racing taking on Mexico’s gruelling cross-desert Baja 1000 race in the official World Diabetes Day car, and World Diabetes Day champions in the United States calling on people with diabetes worldwide to test their blood sugar at 14:00 hours (local time – irrespective of the time zone) and share the results online.

IDF is encouraging the public to register their support for all people living with diabetes by lighting a virtual candle and by wearing the diabetes blue circle pin. To view activities happening around the world visit http://www.worlddiabetesday.org/en/get-involved.

World Diabetes Day Museum
IDF has launched the World Diabetes Day Virtual Museum to display diabetes artwork, photographs, personal stories, campaign material, video and any other artefacts that might help illustrate or explain diabetes themes. The Federation is encouraging people to visit the exhibitions of the 2009 and previous World Diabetes Day celebrations, and to contribute their own artefacts. Visit the museum at http://www.worlddiabetesday.org/museum/

World Diabetes Day – Theme and Goals
IDF’s World Diabetes Day campaign aims to establish access to diabetes education as a right for all people with diabetes, to promote greater awareness of the risk factors and warning signs of diabetes, and encourage best-practice sharing in diabetes prevention. The campaign’s 2009 goal is to “Understand Diabetes and Take Control” and its key messages are: know the diabetes risks and know the warning signs, know how to respond to diabetes and who to turn to, know how to manage diabetes and take control.

“The International Diabetes Federation’s World Diabetes Day campaign aspires to a well-informed world where the myths that surround diabetes are dispelled and a motivated community come together to form a powerful global voice for diabetes advocacy,” said Professor Jean Claude Mbanya, President of the International Diabetes Federation. “The campaign has a responsibility to empower, educate and energize the diabetes community. At the end of the five-year period, the campaign hopes to see important changes in diabetes care, treatment, education and prevention efforts.”

The need to increase diabetes awareness grows ever year with the increasing impact of the disease worldwide. The latest data, recently published by the International Diabetes Federation (IDF) in the 4th Edition of the Diabetes Atlas, show that 4 in 5 people with diabetes now live in low and middle-income countries and that the men and women most affected are of working age – the breadwinners of their families. IDF predicts that the total number will exceed 435 million in 2030 if the current rate of growth continues unchecked.

Diabetes now affects seven percent of the world’s adult population and claims four million lives every year. The disease is a leading cause of blindness, kidney failure, heart attack, stroke and amputation. Diabetes will cost the world economy at least US$376 billion in 2010, or 11.6% of total world healthcare expenditure. By 2030, this number is projected to exceed US$490 billion. More than 80% of diabetes spending is in the world’s richest countries and not in the poorer countries, where over 70 percent of people with diabetes now live.

Diabetes burden by Regions
The regions with the highest comparative prevalence rates are North America, where 10.2% of the adult population have diabetes, followed by the Middle East and North Africa Region with 9.3%. The regions with the highest number of people living with diabetes are Western Pacific, where some 77 million people have diabetes and South East Asia with 59 million.

India is the country with the most people with diabetes, with a current figure of 50.8 million, followed by China with 43.2 million. Behind them come the United States (26.8 million); the Russian Federation (9.6 million); Brazil (7.6 million); Germany (7.5 million); Pakistan (7.1 million); Japan (7.1 million); Indonesia (7 million) and Mexico (6.8 million).

When it comes to the percentage of adult population living with diabetes, the new data reveal the devastating impact of diabetes across the Gulf Region, where five of the Gulf States are among the top ten countries affected. The Pacific island nation of Nauru has the world’s highest rate of diabetes, with almost a third of its adult population (30.9%) living with the disease. It is followed by the United Arab Emirates (18.7%); Saudi Arabia (16.8%); Mauritius (16.2%); Bahrain (15.4%); Reunion (15.3%); Kuwait (14.6%); Oman (13.4%); Tonga (13.4%) and Malaysia (11.6%).

“The world cannot afford to lose the battle against diabetes. We need to stop people before they start the diabetes journey. For those already living with diabetes, we need to ensure that they receive effective diabetes care and education to help them manage their disease,” said Prof. Mbanya. “We have a collective responsibility to make sure that accidents of geography and history do not determine who should live or die. We have to act today to make a difference for people with diabetes tomorrow.”

The World Diabetes Day campaign can be followed online at www.worlddiabetesday.org; www.twitter.com/wdd; Facebook-http://tinyurl.com/o7o6kf and www.youtube.com/worlddiabetesday.

World Diabetes Day: Healthy living prevents diabetes and obesity

World Diabetes Day: Healthy living prevents diabetes and obesity

Today is World Diabetes Day – a day to reflect upon why India has become the diabetes capital of the world with 50.8 million (7.1%) of its people suffering from diabetes. It is high time we prepared to combat this menace and curb its spread. As the new President of IDF has rightly remarked that either we turn off the diabetes tap or else spend our lives mopping the floor.

We Indians are genetically more prone to diabetes. On top of this, a rapid shift in our dietary habits and life styles is resulting in a rapid rise in obesity, diabetes, metabolic syndrome and heart disease. Hence a proper and healthy diet remains the cornerstone of prevention and management of these diseases.

Perhaps the most important reason for increasing prevalence of diabetes, obesity and hypertension is the rapidly changing imbalanced dietary habits, both in rural and urban areas, due to several factors – easy availability of convenience foods, frequent snacking on energy dense fast foods, high consumption of packaged food in place of traditional home made food, etc. This transition has resulted in excess consumption of calories, saturated fats, trans fatty acids, simple sugars, salt and a low fibre intake.

This has necessitated a revision in the existing dietary guidelines prepared 10 years a go by the National Institute of Nutrition, Hyderabad, which was predominantly rural centric. So, more than 100 renowned experts, belonging to varied disciplines of health and nutrition, have got together under the aegis of Science For Equity and Empowerment Division (SEED), Ministry Of Science and Technology, Govt Of India and Diabetes Foundation (India), to formulate a "National Consensus on Dietary Guidelines for Adult Asian Indians for Healthy Living and Prevention of Obesity & Diabetes". They have incorporated worldwide research and opinions in nutrition modulated to India specific data. They are simple, easy to understand by doctors and common public alike, and provision of standard diet charts catering to different regions of India will help people from all parts of India.

According to Mrs. Rekha Sharma, former chief dietician AIIMS, New Delhi, “Researches done on the nutritional health of the Indian Population indicate a rampant increase in obesity and other NCDs, like diabetes, primarily due to faulty eating and sedentary life style. Hence, to keep up with the changing scenario of health, we need new scientific broad based dietary guidelines, tailor made to the eating pattern of the Indian population.”

Dr Anoop Misra, director, Diabetes, Obesity and Metabolism, Diabetes Federation Of India, strongly feels that the application of these guidelines will significantly help in preventing and halting diabetes and obesity epidemic in India.

Countrywide adaptation of these guidelines is likely to have a significant impact on prevalence and management of more than 25 diseases, including diabetes and diabetes related diseases.

What are these dietary guidelines for healthy living and prevention of diabetes and obesity?

The energy requirement must be calculated on the basis of height, weight and activity level – a medium frame Indian male of 165cm height should weigh 62 kg, and if sedentary, would require 1850 K cal to maintain healthy weight.

The daily carbohydrate intake, derived from whole wheat, unpolished rice, barley, buckwheat, oats, millet, whole pulses, legumes, and whole fruits like guava/apple etc, should be around 50-60% of total calorie intake, that is 250-300 gm/day.

The total daily dietary fibre should be 25-40 gm. Hence high fibre food items like cereal, pulses, vegetables, salads, guava, amla, apple, pears, peaches etc should be eaten. In fact, 4 to 5 servings of fruits and vegetables per day are recommended.

Visible fat (oil, butter, ghee) and invisible fat (from cereals and pulses), together should be less than 30% of total energy. This can be got by consuming 4 to 5 teaspoonfuls of a combination of two or more vegetable oils. Correct cooking methods like boiling, steaming, roasting, grilling etc, instead of frying can minimize the visible fat intake.

Trans fatty acids should be less than 1% of the total energy. These are found abundantly in bakery products, ready to use soups and gravies and foods prepared in margarine and vanaspati ghee. Hence it is best to avoid these products.

Ideal protein intake is 1gm/day for every one kilo of body weight. Thus for the average Indian male, this could be obtained from two bowls of cooked pulses, or 2 pieces of lean chicken/fish meat, or 500ml of double toned milk, or 9 servings of wheat flour. This much of protein will provide 10-15% of the total calories.

Salt intake should be less than 5gm per day. So, we Indians need to drastically curtail the ever so popular consumption of salted potato chips (a big favourite of children), pickles, and salty fried snacks.

Sugar in very small amounts and water in excess (about 8-10 glasses) every day, should cap it all.

Apart from this, it is important to take small frequent meals at intervals of 3-4 hours. While eating out (which has become increasingly popular, even in small towns in India), one should choose small portion sizes of healthy snacks. Beverages like buttermilk, coconut water, and fresh lime with water are excellent substitutes for aerated and high calorie drinks.

If adopted, these guidelines can, perhaps, have a significant impact on prevalence and management of obesity, diabetes and heart diseases, and save the native Asian Indian race from the ravages of non-communicable diseases (NCDs).

A persistent and prolonged intensive lifestyle intervention could be the most effective tool to combat diabetes. At the same time, more effective drugs (and not glamorous pharmaceutical manipulations) are needed for those who cannot follow intensive life style therapy due to infirmity.

Emergence of obesity, diabetes and metabolic syndrome in developing countries like In

dia, is basically due to rural-urban migration, mechanization, open market economy, increasing affluence, improved food supply, dietary liberalization and westernization, and physical inactivity due to rapid pace of urban life, resulting in more sedentary work.

Leisure time activities have also shifted from outdoor activities to indoor entertainment, like television viewing and computer usage, both in children and adults. Also, women are generally reported to be physically more inactive than men, perhaps due to cultural influences on outdoor activities.

But what is of major concern is that children and adolescents are showing decreased physical activity which is fuelling obesity and type 2 diabetes at a very young age. There is a general misconception in Indian parents that an obese child is a healthy child and that feeding oils and clarified butter to children is beneficial to their growth and imparts strength. Another important factor is the parental pressure on children to perform well in academics at the cost of sports and other physical activities. Lack of play fields in schools and open spaces around homes, has further aggravated the problem.

Thus health interventions in both children and adults should be aimed at increasing the physical activity, along with healthier eating habits and health education. A carefully followed diet-exercise combination seems to work wonderfully in preventing or delaying the development of diabetes. This has been proved by a 10 year long Diabetes-Prevention-Programme (DPP) study, which has demonstrated the effectiveness of intervention programmes and changes in lifestyle in reducing the cost burden due to diabetes. This cost burden is imposed not only on the patient and her family, but also on society. There is loss in income and productivity. There are intangible costs in terms of pain, anxiety and suffering.

Programmes directed specifically towards children have shown encouraging results. These should be aided with individual and community health initiatives, backed up by government efforts. The government would do well to sell coarse grains like millets through its public distribution systems. Effective strategies for making and marketing healthy food snacks are needed to counteract the increasing sale of junk food. In fact, some kiosks on the Ahmedabad highway sell tribal health foods in attractive packaging. As eating out is becoming fashionable even in small towns, it is necessary for the food and hotel industry to churn out more healthy recipes and popularise them.

Diabetes Federation of India is running some nutritional awareness programmes in school

s of India, aimed at primary prevention of obesity and inculcation of healthy diet and lifestyle practices in children and adolescents who are at an increased risk for early onset of type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM) and coronary heart disease (CHD).

Simple measures like regular physical activity, cutting off extra calories, eating more green vegetables and fruits, are likely to be beneficial in preventing diabetes. Eating less and walking more, does not cost anything and the gains are far too many.

So what are we waiting for? Let us make a resolution now to shun unhealthy food, to

walk/exercise a little more and encourage our children to play outdoors rather than on a computer screen.

Shobha Shukla

(The author is the Editor of Citizen News Service (CNS), has worked earlier with State Planning Institute, UP, and teaches Physics at India's prestigious Loreto Convent. Email: shobha@citizen-news.org, website: www.citizen-news.org)

บทสัมภาษณ์พิเศษ รมต.ว่าการกระทรวงสาธารณสุข เนื่องในวันเบาหวานโลก 2552

นโยบายสุขภาพ ‘เชิงรุก’ ของประเทศไทยในการให้ความรู้และป้องกันโรคเบาหวาน

ปัจจุบันประเทศไทยมีจำนวนผู้ป่วยด้วยโรคเบาหวานกว่าสามล้านคน และมีแนวโน้มเพิ่มสูงขึ้น รัฐมนตรีว่าการกระทรวงสาธารณสุขนายวิทยา แก้วภราดัย ได้แสดงความเป็นห่วงและเพิ่มมาตรการในการรับมือกับสถานการณ์ของโรคเบาหวาน

ในขณะที่สมาพันธ์เบาหวานนานาชาติ (International Diabetes Federation – IDF) ได้กำหนดให้ การ ‘ให้ความรู้และป้องกันโรคเบาหวาน’ เป็นหัวรณรงค์วันเบาหวานโลกระหว่างปี 2552 – 2556 นี้ และเรียกร้องให้ทุกฝ่ายเร่งหามาตรการในการให้ความรู้และควบคุมโรคเบาหวาน

นายวิทยา ระบุว่าขณะนี้ได้ปรับแนวทางในการดำเนินนโยบายสุขภาพของประเทศไทยให้เป็นเชิงรุกมากยิ่งขึ้น “นโยบายของรัฐในการให้การรักษาพยาบาลประชาชนนั้นค่อนข้างจะเป็นการตั้งรับมากเกินไป ปัจจุบันนี้โรงพยาบาลทุกโรงมีปริมาณคนไข้ล้นมือ ดังนั้นเราจึงไม่สามารถที่จะรอต่อไปได้ การรณรงค์ให้ความรู้ เพื่อเป็นการป้องกันและควบคุมโรคภัยไข้เจ็บของประชาชนจึงเป็นนโยบายสำคัญที่เราเน้นมากที่สุดในขณะนี้”

“กระทรวงสาธารณสุขได้ส่ง อสม.จำนวนมากกว่า 980,000 คน เพื่อออกไปทำการสำรวจและให้ความรู้เกี่ยวกับเรื่องโรคเบาหวาน เพื่อที่จะได้ป้องกันและลดความเสี่ยง ตลอดจนปรับเปลี่ยนวิถีการดำเนินชีวิตและพฤติกรรมการบริโภค” นายวิทยากล่าว “สำหรับผู้ป่วยด้วยโรคเบาหวานในปัจจุบัน เราได้จัดเตรียมการดูแลรักษาเกี่ยวกับเรื่องโรคเบาหวานเป็นพิเศษ โดยเฉพาะผู้ป่วยที่อยู่ในกลุ่มเสี่ยงที่จะมีอาการเบาหวานขึ้นจอประสาทตาซึ่งเป็นสาเหตุสำคัญที่จะทำให้ตาบอดในที่สุด” นายวิทยากล่าวชี้แจง

“เราได้รับเงินสนับสนุนส่วนหนึ่งจากประเทศเดนมาร์ค เนื่องในโอกาสที่องค์มงกุฎราชกุมารแห่งเดนมาร์คพร้อมด้วยพระมเหสีเสด็จร่วมงานเฉลิมฉลอง 150 ปีความสัมพันธ์ไทย-เดนมาร์คในกรุงเทพมหานครเมื่อ พฤศจิกายน 2551 และเงินสนับสนุนเพิ่มเติมจากมูลนิธิเบาหวานโลก (World Diabetes Foundation – WDF) ในการสร้างรถตรวจรักษาตาเคลื่อนที่ จำนวน 2 คัน เพื่อตรวจคัดกรองและรักษาจอประสาทตาผิดปกติจากเบาหวาน คือ นอกจากจะสามารถให้บริการในการตรวจหาผู้ป่วยที่มีจอประสาทตาผิดปกติจากเบาหวานแล้ว ยังสามารถให้การรักษาด้วย โดยมีจักษุแพทย ์ผู้ชำนาญการออกไปพร้อมกับรถ เพื่อให้คำแนะนำและทำการรักษาด้วยเครื่องเลเซอร์ รถเคลื่อนที่นี้ให้บริการประชาชนฟรี โดยจะเริ่มที่จังหวัดนครศรีธรรมราช และสุราษฏร์ธานี เพื่อเป็นการนำร่องก่อนหน้าวันเบาหวานโลก 1 วัน คือ 13 พฤศจิกายน 2552” นายวิทยากล่าว

จากข้อมูลของสมาพันธ์เบาหวานนานาชาติ International Diabetes Federation – IDF ในแต่ละปีมีผู้เสียชีวิตด้วยโรคเบาหวานกว่า 4 ล้านคน และโรคเบาหวานยังเป็นสาเหตุสำคัญที่ทำให้ผู้ป่วยตาบอด ไตวาย หัวใจวาย เป็นอัมพาต ต้องตัดแขนหรือตัดขา ขณะนี้ผู้ที่ป่วยด้วยโรคเบาหวานมีจำนวนมากถึง 285 ล้านคน หากว่าจำนวนผู้ที่ป่วยด้วยโรคเบาหวานยังเพิ่มสูงขึ้นต่อเนื่องไปเรื่อยๆ โดยไม่มีมาตรการยับยั้ง จะส่งผลให้จำนวนผู้ป่วยทั่วโลกเพิ่มมากขึ้นถึงกว่า 435 ล้านคนในอีก 20 ปีข้างหน้า

“รัฐบาลจะต้องลงทุนทำสิ่งที่อยู่นอกเหนือไปจากกรอบเดิม โดยเฉพาะอย่างยิ่งในการประชาสัมพันธ์เรื่องการบริโภคอาหารอย่างถูกสุขลักษณะ และการออกกำลัง เพื่อลดความอ้วนและโอกาสเสี่ยงที่อาจเกิดโรคเบาหวานชนิดที่ 2 เพราะหากไม่มีมาตรการป้องกันอย่างมีประสิทธิภาพแล้ว โรคเบาหวานจะเป็นอุปสรรคที่สำคัญอย่างยิ่งต่อระบบสุขภาพ และการเจริญเติบโตทางเศรษฐกิจของประเทศ” ศาสตราจารย์ ฌอง คล็อด มบันญ่า (Jean Claude Mbanya) ประธานคนใหม่ของสมาพันธ์เบาหวานนานาชาติ ได้กล่าวในการประชุม World Diabetes Congress ณ เมืองมอนทรีออล์ ประเทศแคนาดาที่ผ่านมา

“ขณะนี้มีผู้ป่วยด้วยโรคเบาหวานจอประสาทตาที่มีโอกาสที่จะมองเห็นไม่ชัด หรือตาบอดอยู่ประมาณ 50,000 - 60,000 คน แทนที่เราจะรอให้ผู้ป่วยมารักษาที่โรงพยาบาล ซึ่งบางรายก็ไม่สามารถเดินทางมารักษาได้ ทำให้อาการหนักขึ้น และสายเกินไปในที่สุด เราจึงออกตรวจหาผู้ป่วยในพื้นที่และให้การช่วยเหลือ โดยเฉพาะประชาชนที่อยู่ในชนบทห่างไกล” แพทย์หญิงศรีวรรณา พูลสรรพสิทธิ์ ที่ปรึกษากระทรวง นายแพทย์ทรงคุณวุฒิ ด้านเวชกรรม หัวหน้าสำนักวิชาการสาธารณสุข กล่าว “คาดว่าภายในระยะเวลา 1 ปี รถตรวจรักษาตาเคลื่อนที่ ทั้ง 2 คัน ดังกล่าวจะสามารถรักษาดวงตาผู้ป่วยไว้ได้ถึง 4,000 ดวงตา”

ในขณะที่หลายประเทศที่ได้รับผลกระทบจากโรคเบาหวานอย่างรุนแรงได้เริ่มออกมาตรการทางกฎหมายต่างๆ เช่นการแบนโฆษณาอาหารขยะ หรืออาหารที่ให้พลังงานสูงเกินความจำเป็น และมีการรณรงค์ให้มีการบังคับใช้กฎหมาย ต่อต้านอาหารขยะ หรือ Anti-junk food law อย่างเช่นสหรัฐอเมริกา ซึ่งมีผู้ป่วยด้วยโรคเบาหวานจำนวนมากเป็นอันดับที่ 3 ของโลก กล่าวคือ 26.8 ล้านคน รองจากประเทศอินเดีย และจีนซึ่งมีผู้ป่วยด้วยโรคเบาหวานจำนวน 50.8 และ 43.2 ล้านคน ตามลำดับ

นายวิทยา ได้แสดงความเห็นเกี่ยวกับแนวทางการใช้มาตรการทางกฎหมายดังกล่าวในประเทศไทยว่า “ในขณะนี้เรายังไม่มีกฎหมายเกี่ยวข้องกับการควบคุมน้ำตาลในขนมกรุบกรอบ หรือการควบคุมการโฆษณาต่างๆ ทางโทรทัศน์ แต่ได้มีการขอความร่วมมือไปยังผู้ประกอบการให้ลดปริมาณน้ำตาล ไขมัน และเกลือในขนมเด็ก และติดฉลากว่าเป็นขนมที่ไม่เป็นอันตรายต่อสุขภาพ” นายวิทยายังได้กล่าวย้ำว่า “กฎหมายอาจช่วยลดการเข้าถึงอาหารที่ไม่ดีต่อสุขภาพได้ในระดับหนึ่ง แต่สิ่งที่สำคัญที่สุดคือคนต้องมีความตระหนักด้วย”

นอกจากนั้น นายวิทยายังได้กล่าวถึงนโยบายโรงเรียนปลอดน้ำอัดลม ซึ่งได้ร่วมมือกับกรมอนามัย สสส. และเครือข่ายผู้บริโภค เพื่อให้มีการกำหนดมาตรการควบคุมการจำหน่ายน้ำอัดลมและขนมในโรงเรียนซึ่งจะดำเนินการรณรงค์และขยายผลสู่ รร.เอกชนในโอกาสต่อไป

นายวิทยาเชื่อมั่นว่าพฤติกรรมการบริโภคของคนไทยสามารถเปลี่ยนแปลงได้ แต่ต้องอาศัยระยะเวลา “เราสามารถสังเกตได้ว่าระยะหลังคนไทย โดยเฉพาะในกลุ่มผู้มีรายได้ปานกลางจะเลือกซื้ออาหารเพื่อสุขภาพมากขึ้น รับประทานผักมากขึ้น โดยเฉพาะอย่างยิ่ง ผักปลอดสารพิษ บริโภคข้าวกล้อง และเรายังมีโครงการรณรงค์ส่งเสริมให้ ‘คนไทยไร้พุง’ ซึ่งเป็นมาตรการสำคัญในการรณรงค์และสร้างความตระหนักเรื่องโรคอ้วน และเพื่อให้คนไทยลดน้ำหนัก โดยการเพิ่มการออกกำลังกาย สิ่งเหล่านี้ใช้เวลา แต่เราก็สามารถเห็นผลจากการเปลี่ยนแปลงพฤติกรรมการบริโภคของประชาชนได้”

นายวิทยาได้ชี้แจงเกี่ยวกับเรื่องของ โครงการตลาดปลอดสารพิษ ซึ่งเป็นโครงการนำร่องอีกโครงการหนึ่งโดยองค์การอาหารและยา จับมือร่วมกับตลาด เพื่อรณรงค์ในการจำหน่ายอาหารและผัก ผลไม้ปลอดสารพิษ โดยเริ่มที่ตลาดสามย่านเป็นแห่งแรก และจะมีการส่งเจ้าหน้าที่ออกไปตรวจ และให้การรับรองมาตรฐานอย่างสม่ำเสมอ หากว่าโครงการดังกล่าวประสบความสำเร็จ ก็จะได้มีการขยายผลต่อไป เพื่อเป็นการเร่งรัดให้เกิดการรณรงค์ในเรื่องการพฤติกรรมการบริโภคของประชาชน

ในโอกาสที่วันเบาหวานโลกจะมาถึงในอีกเพียงไม่กี่วันข้างหน้านี้ ไฮไลท์ที่สำคัญอีกประการหนึ่งของกระทรวงสาธารณสุขก็คือเรื่องของนโยบายการยกระดับสถานีอนามัยตำบลจำนวน 2,100 แห่ง ขึ้นเป็นโรงพยาบาลส่งเสริมสุขภาพตำบล และจะครอบคลุมมากกว่า 7,000 แห่งทั่วประเทศ ภายในระยะเวลา 3 ปี โดยมีวัตถุประสงค์นอกเหนือจากการให้การรักษาแล้ว ยังเป็นการส่งเสริมการดูแลสุขภาพของประชาชนภายใต้ความร่วมมือของเจ้าหน้าที่สาธารณสุขและอสม.ในท้องถิ่นที่จะเข้าไปสำรวจ ให้คำแนะนำผู้ป่วยที่อยู่ในพื้นที่และคัดกรองกลุ่มเสี่ยงได้อย่างมีประสิทธิภาพมากยิ่งขึ้น นอกจากนั้นทางกระทรวง สธ.ก็ยังมีโครงการจะเปิดสายด่วน Hotline เพื่อให้ความรู้ความเข้าใจเกี่ยวกับเรื่องโรคเบาหวานและโรคไม่ติดต่อเรื้อรังอื่นๆ กับประชาชนอีกด้วย

ด้าน ศ.พญ.วรรณี นิธิยานันท์ อุปนายก สมาคมโรคเบาหวานแห่งประเทศไทย ในพระราชูปถัมภ์สมเด็จพระเทพรัตนราชสุดาฯ สยามบรมราชกุมารี ซึ่งดำรงตำแหน่งประธานคณะกรรมการจัดงานมหกรรมเบาหวาน เนื่องในวันเบาหวานโลก ประเทศไทย ได้แถลงกับสื่อมวลชนเกี่ยวกับการจัดงานในครั้งนี้ว่า “ปีนี้ สมาคมฯ ได้ประสานงานและมีความร่วมมืออย่างดียิ่ง จากกระทรวงสาธารณสุข และกรุงเทพมหานคร ในการจัดกิจกรรมรณรงค์โรคเบาหวาน เนื่องจากทุกฝ่ายได้ตระหนักว่าโรคเบาหวานเป็นปัญหาสำคัญอย่างหนึ่งของประเทศ ทางสมาคมฯ ใคร่ขอเชิญชวนประชาชนทั่วทั้งประเทศร่วมการรณรงค์ ถ้าหากว่าท่านอยู่ในกรุงเทพมหานคร ก็สามารถมาร่วมกิจกรรมได้ที่สวนลุมพินีและโรงพยาบาลที่จัดกิจกรรม ส่วนประชาชนต่างจังหวัดท่านสามารถร่วมกิจกรรมได้ที่โรงพยาบาลหรือสถานพยาบาลใกล้บ้าน โดยกิจกรรมในวันเบาหวานโลกปีนี้ จะมีการรณรงค์ให้ความรู้การดูแลสุขภาพ และการป้องกันโรคเบาหวาน รวมทั้งการดูแลรักษาเมื่อเป็นเบาหวานแล้ว ภายใต้สโลแกนว่า ‘เบาหวานควบคุมได้...เพียงรู้และเข้าใจ’ รวมทั้งการตรวจน้ำตาลในเลือด และปัญหาสุขภาพอย่างอื่นที่เกี่ยวข้อง เช่น ความดันโลหิตสูง เป็นต้น” ศ.พญ.วรรณี ได้เน้นย้ำถึงความสำคัญในการมีส่วนร่วมของภาคประชาชน เพื่อให้จำนวนผู้ป่วยโรคเบาหวานลดลง และให้ทุกคนสามารถเข้าถึงการรักษาตามมาตรฐานอย่างทั่วถึง

“ผมอยากเชิญชวนให้ประชาชนชาวไทยทุกคนระมัดระวังโรคเบาหวาน เนื่องจากโรคเบาหวานเป็นโรคที่เป็นแล้วรักษาไม่หาย และจะอยู่กับเราไปตลอด โอกาสในการเสียชีวิตสูงมากขึ้น เนื่องจากโรคเบาหวานเป็นสาเหตุของโรคแทรกซ้อนอื่นๆ ดังนั้นใครที่ได้รับการวินิจฉัยว่าเป็นโรคเบาหวาน หรือเป็นกลุ่มเสี่ยงต้องปรับเปลี่ยนพฤติกรรมการบริโภคของท่าน เพิ่มการรับประทานผัก และลดอาหารพวกแป้งและน้ำตาล - ถ้าท่านไม่เป็นโรคเบาหวาน ชีวิตจะมีสุขมากครับ” รัฐมนตรีว่าการกระทรวงสาธารณสุข นายวิทยา แก้วภราดัย กล่าวทิ้งท้าย

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หมายเหตุ: บทความพิเศษเนื่องในวันเบาหวานโลก โดยสมาคมโรคเบาหวานแห่งประเทศไทย ภายใต้พระบรมราชูปถัมภ์ สมเด็จพระเทพรัตนาราชสุดาฯ (Diabetes Association of Thailand) ร่วมกับ สมาพันธ์เบาหวานนานาชาติ (International Diabetes Federation – IDF) Citizen News Service และ Jay-Inspire Multimedia and Communication Services

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ท่านสามารถรับชมวิดีโอคลิปได้ที่:

หรือรับฟังสปอตได้ที่:

http://jay-inspire.blogspot.com/2009/11/exclusive-interview-minister-of-public.html

Pan-African Conference on Diabetes Coincides With World Diabetes Day

Pan-African Conference on Diabetes Coincides With World Diabetes Day

The Republic of Mauritius in collaboration with the World Health Organization Afro Region and the International Diabetes Federation (IDF) today opened an International Conference on Diabetes & Associated Diseases in Port Louis, Mauritius to highlight their concern about the rapid growth of the diabetes epidemic throughout Africa. The conference will run from November 12 and end on November 14 - World Diabetes Day.

The Pan-African conference will feature the Regional Director of WHO Afro and health ministers from 46 African countries, directors from WHO global and WHO Afro, IDF experts,and other leading diabetes experts from across the globe to discuss the current issues, lates

t developments and practical management and prevention of diabetes and its complications. Participants will also take stock of the latest scientific evidence-based best practices to address the epidemic of diabetes and related complications - http://www.gov.mu/portal/sites/diabetesconf2009/index.htm. The goal is to build a strategic alliance among health professionals that will provide the momentum to implement both the National Diabetes Services Framework and procedures, and the UN Resolution on Diabetes (Res.61/225).

Africa will have the highest percentage increase in the number of people with diabetes in the next 20 years because of rapid industrialization and general improvements in living standards over the past five decades according to the latest data from the IDF Diabetes Atlas 4th edition. At least 80% of people in Africa with diabetes remain undiagnosed. The picture is bleak for those already affected by diabetes as the IDF data shows that in Africa, most of those who die from diabetes are in the economically productive age group (30 to 60 years).

"No country is immune to diabetes and no country has all the answers to this common enemy that we confront. No country has yet managed to reverse the trend of rising prevalence. Defeating diabetes will take every ounce of commitment and ingenuity that we can summon. It is time to think creatively and to break down old paradigms. Studies show increasingly strong linkages between diabetes and many other diseases, such as heart disease, tuberculosis and HIV/AIDS," said Professor Jean Claude Mbanya, President of the International Diabetes Federation and co-chair of the Scientific Committee of the conference.

Mbanya added, "IDF's aim is to achieve sustainable health systems as called for in United Nations Resolution 61/225, and to catalyse funding that is committed to helping health systems develop sustainable, cost-effective measures for prevention and care of diabetes and other non-communicable diseases"

Diabetes Globally
Africa is not alone in fighting the diabetes epidemic. IDF data shows that 285 million people worldwide now live with diabetes (4-in-5 are in developing countries). That number is expected to exceed 435 million in 2030 if the current rate of growth continues unchecked. Diabetes will kill four million people in the coming year, more than HIV/AIDS and Malaria combined.

Diabetes has become a development issue which threatens health and economic prosperity in low- and middle-income countries. IDF predicts that diabetes will cost the world economy at least US$376 billion in 2010, or 11.6% of total world healthcare expenditure. By 2030, this number is projected to exceed US$490 billion. More than 80% of diabetes spending is in the world's richest countries and not in the poorer countries, where over 70 percent of people with diabetes now live.

Diabetes in Mauritius
Globally, only one other country has a larger proportion of its population with diabetes than Mauritius, the Pacific island of Nauru.

"If one needed a barometer for assessing or predicting the direction of the global diabetes epidemic, we do not need to go past the Indian Ocean island nation of Mauritius with its population of about 1.3 million," said Professor Paul Zimmet, Co-Chair of the IDF Task Force on Epidemiology and Prevention from Australia's Baker IDI Heart and Diabetes Institute.

Zimmet, who is co-chair of the scientific committee and a keynote speaker at the conference, said the multi-racial population of Mauritius (Asian Indian Hindus, Asian Indian Muslims, Chinese and Creoles) has undergone rapid industrialization and economic growth over the past several decades. This brought in its wake a dramatic shift in the disease pattern. He noted that these ethnic groups constitute two-thirds of the world's population. Mauritius acts as a microcosm of the global epidemic and data from successive studies here have been critical for IDF in its global predictions of diabetes.

Along with the Mauritius Ministry of Health and Quality of Life, Zimmet and Sir George Alberti have been conducting surveys in Mauritius since 1987 (1992, 1998, and 2004) which have shown that prevalence rates for diabetes and its complications are very high. Between 1987 and 1998, there was a 38% increase in diabetes numbers. In the most recent 2009 survey, (led by Sudhir Kowlessur and Professor Zimmet), there has been a further dramatic increase in numbers.

"This bodes poorly for India (50.8 million) and China (43.2 million), the two nations that already have the most people with diabetes globally as well as the many nations around the world with immigration of these ethnic groups," said Zimmet.

Zimmet also voiced his great concern about the dramatic increase in diabetes in Indigenous populations citing the example of Australia's Aboriginal population. "In our rich nation," he said, "we have close to the highest world rates of diabetes, diabetic kidney disease and amputations in the world. Diabetes is the fastest growing disease worldwide and one of the greatest public health challenges of the 21st Century"

Professor Mbanya said, "Faced with these alarming numbers in Mauritius, it is especially important that we focus on the country this World Diabetes Day. This international conference marks the start of the political action necessary to reverse the diabetes epidemic worldwide."

For the next five years IDF is focused on Diabetes Education and Prevention through its World Diabetes Day campaign.

World Diabetes Day radio spots

World Diabetes Day radio spots

Welcome to listen pod cast series campaigning on

World Diabetes Day, 14 November 2009, in both English and Thai Versions.

Produce by

International Diabetes Federation - IDF,

Diabetes Association of Thailand,

Citizen News Service - CNS and Jay-Inspire Inc.

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Thailand ups diabetes prevention and education on World Diabetes Day 2009

Thailand ups diabetes prevention and education on World Diabetes Day 2009

In Thailand, more than 3 million people are living with diabetes. There is an urgent need to scale up the diabetes prevention and education, says Wittaya Kaewparadai, Minister of Public Health, Thailand.

According to the International Diabetes Federation (IDF), diabetes education and prevention is the World Diabetes Day theme for the period 2009-2013. The World Diabetes Day campaign calls on all those responsible for diabetes care to understand diabetes and take control.

"We have to educate Thai people to prevent getting diabetes by reducing the risk and modifying lifestyles and consumption behaviours," says Wittaya. "More than 980,000 health volunteers are sent by the Ministry to conduct surveys and provide diabetes-related education to encourage people to reduce consumption of food that increases their vulnerability to diabetes, like sweets. There is a need to pay more attention to healthcare and healthy lifestyles," says Wittaya.

"For those people who are living with diabetes presently, we provide special care to manage diabetes. There is regular screening for people with diabetes, especially for those who may be at risk of diabetes retinopathy, which is one of the major preventable cause of blindness" informs Wittaya, Minister of Public Health, Thailand.

"We received financial support from Denmark when HRH Crown Prince Frederik of Denmark and HRH Crown Princess Mary (his wife) came to celebrate 150 years of Thai - Denmark relationship in Bangkok in November 2008. In addition to this financial aid, with the support of the World Diabetes Foundation (WDF), we started the mobile car units providing diabetes scanning, consultations and diabetes retinopathy treatment to the populations in Thailand. These two cars will also provide services to people one day before World Diabetes Day, 14 November, at Nakhon Sri Thammarat and Surachthanee (in Thailand)" further added Wittaya.

Diabetes claims 4 million lives every year and is a leading cause of blindness, kidney failure, heart attack, stroke and amputation. According to International Diabetes Federation (IDF), if the current rate of diabetes growth continues unchecked, the total number of people living with diabetes worldwide will exceed 435 million in the next 20 years.

"The world needs to invest in integrated health systems that can diagnose, treat, manage and prevent diabetes," said Professor Jean Claude Mbanya, the new IDF President. "Governments also need to invest in actions outside the formal health sector, particularly in promoting healthier diets and physical activity, to reduce obesity and the risk of type-2 diabetes. Without effective prevention diabetes will overwhelm health systems and hinder economic growth" further added Mbanya.

"It is estimated that 50,000 - 60,000 of people living with diabetes in Thailand would develop blur vision or blindness. Instead of waiting for them to come to hospital which sometimes becomes too late to provide effective prevention and cure, we move ahead to reach out to them and prevent or treat as required. There are ophthalmologists and specialists with well-equipped advanced diagnostic and therapeutic facilities, to treat patients in faraway villages free of cost. We expect that by next World Diabetes Day 2010 we will prevent 4,000 people from blindness" said Dr Sriwanna, Head of Academic Department, Public Health Ministry, Thailand.

In many high-burden diabetes countries like India, China and USA, there are efforts to educate people to reduce consumption of junk food. There are regulatory laws to check misleading advertisements as well. "We still don't have any law to check the amount of sugar in snacks, or to regulate the TV advertisements yet, but we have been asking the companies or entrepreneurs to reduce the sugar in their products and if they cooperate then they can mention it on the label as healthy food/snack. I understand that if we seek cooperation and give education to people, every company will finally follow. We also provide statistics and information about what kind of food/beverage are unhealthy to people" informs Wittaya. "We are also campaigning in schools and giving rewards to school which do not sell junk food to children" said Wittaya.

"Growing numbers of Thai people especially from middle-income group are buying more healthy food, pesticides-free vegetables, brown rice, among other healthy food products. 'Khon Thai Rai Pung' campaign to raise awareness about obesity and to encourage Thai people to reduce their weight by having more physical activities is also giving encouraging results" said Wittaya.

"In cooperation with the Food and Drug Administration (FDA), we are opening pesticides-free markets like Sam Yan Market, where there is an officer from the FDA to check every entrepreneur and certify the quality of food product" informs Wittaya, the Thai Public Health Minister.

"This year we are also promoting Tambon Health Stations to become Tambon Health Promotion Hospital at about 2,100 places around the country" informs Wittaya. "Besides providing treatment, these centres also provide health promotion services" says Wittaya.

"This year we received great support because everyone already realized that Diabetes is a growing public health challenge for Thailand," said Professor Wannee Nitiyanant, Vice President, Diabetes Association of Thailand under the Patronage of Her Royal Highness Princess Maha Chakri Sirindhorn.

"There will be campaigning and activities on diabetes education and prevention, free diabetes and health check up on how at risk you are, and facilities to cater to other related health problems such as high blood pressure at Lumpini Park" says Professor Wannee.

According to the International Diabetes Federation (IDF), the key messages of the World Diabetes Day (November 14) campaign are:
* Know the diabetes risks and know the warning signs
* Know how to respond to diabetes and who to turn to
* Know how to manage diabetes and take control

Thailand seems to be gearing up to improve diabetes prevention and education to prevent diabetes and diabetes-related complications, alongside scaling up quality care and services for people living with diabetes.

Jittima Jantanamalaka
[The author is the Director of Jay Inspire Inc and produces radio programmes for FM radio stations in Thailand]

Diabetes Care Watch: 2-9 November 2009

Diabetes Care Watch: 2-9 November 2009
Issue 35
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The Diabetes-Care Watch provides a weekly snapshot of five major news pieces on diabetes-care from around the world, including news highlights from diabetes high-burdened countries and links to major diabetes-related events or other advocacy opportunities. This is issue 35 (2-9 November 2009).

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Top two videos on Diabetes this week:
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1. Turn Off the Diabetes Tap - Turn Media On!
- "1st Most Viewed Video in Non-Profit" (Honour by YouTube.com)

2. An Exclusive Interview with Minister of Public Health Thailand in lead up to the World Diabetes Day 2009

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Top five news on Diabetes-Care-Watch this week
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Turn off the diabetes tap - Turn media on! (Source: Citizen News Service - CNS) Diabetes is one disease that can be influenced by the consumption of unhealthy foods. There are approximately 285 million or roughly 7% of the world’s adult population affected by diabetes. The use of media tools on health care promotions and campaigning is growing but much more needs to be done to ensure that more positive messages reach a greater number of people in the world. The media can be used as a tool to spread disease prevention messages. "Either we spend all our time mopping the floor, or we get up and turn off the tap," said Professor Jean Claude Mbanya, the new president of International Diabetes Federation (IDF) during the 20th World Diabetes Congress held in Canada. Read more

Diabetes in Zimbabwe: It's not all about Sugar (Source: Citizen News Service - CNS) Most people in Zimbabwe associate diabetes with a high intake of sugar, particularly in tea. Little to no other foods are associated with the onset of this condition. Put simply, very few people know that eating too much of carbohydrates, fats, proteins can increase the incidence of diabetes. I discovered later that diabetes mellitus occurs when the pancreas does not make enough or any of the hormone insulin, or when the insulin produced doesn't work effectively. In diabetes, this causes the level of glucose in the blood to be too high. According to experts, the number of people with diabetes in Zimbabwe is growing. In 2003, Zimbabwe recorded more than 90 000 cases of diabetes, an increased of 3 000 from the 1997 figure. Read more

"Across the world, the threat [of diabetes] is ignored and under-funded": Kofi Annan (Source: Citizen News Service - CNS)
"A recent survey showed that the age-standardized rate of diabetes among adults living in urban areas is up to 9.7% in China," said Prof. Yang Wenying, chairman of Chinese Diabetes Society. That means approximately 92.4 million people in China have diabetes, Prof. Yang revealed on 31st October 2009 in Beijing at The Diabetes Leadership Forum 2009 China, an international conference co-hosted by the Chinese Ministry of Health and the World Diabetes Foundation. The Chinese government is taking the threat seriously, implementing concrete actions to fight the epidemic. "Chronic diseases such as diabetes are becoming public health challenges," said Chinese Minister of Health Chen Zhu to an audience of more than 600 delegates, including government officials, medical professionals, and experts from around the world. "Improving prevention and treatment is critical for realising the goals of the country's new reform plan, Healthy China 2020." Minister Chen revealed that in the coming months he will be announcing a national plan on the prevention and control of non-communicable diseases from 2010-2020. Read more

Project Kadam: Walk Against Diabetes today (Source: The Times of India)
Thousands thronged the ongoing annual diabetes conference organized by Research Society for the Society of Diabetes in India (RSSDI) here to get their sugar level tested, know about numerous equipment that will help them control the disease and get information on making healthier versions of junk food! For the first time, an awareness exhibition for people has been organized as part of a scientific conference. The initiative was launched through Project Kadam which stands for Knowledge and Action Based Diabetes Awareness Movement. Read more

IDA President cautions against child diabetes explosion (Source: The Times of India) Diabetes in children will remain epidemic proportions and by 2010, South East Asia will have 1.2 lakh children with Type 1 diabetes, International Diabetes Federation (IDF) president Jean Claude Mbanya has warned. A considerable number of them would be in India, which is considered the diabetes capital of the world. "Children eat the fried food and drink soft drinks with fizz and sit before a computer after school. Now, type II diabetes in children are also going up. Four out of five people with diabetes in the world are going to be in developing countries in the future. India and China are on the top order for diabetes prevalence, and countries like Ghana, Mauritius, Tonga and others are catching up," said Mbanya after declaring Dr Mohan's Diabetes Specialities Centre and Madras Diabetes Research Foundation as IDF Centre for Excellence in Education. Read more
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This is produced by Citizen News Service (CNS - India/Thailand) and Jay Inspire Inc Thailand

Turn off the Diabetes Tap - Turn Media on!

Diabetes is one disease that can be influenced by the consumption of unhealthy foods. There are approximately 285 million or roughly 7% of the world’s adult population affected by diabetes. The use ofmedia tools on health care promotions and campaigning is growing but much more needs to be done to ensure that more positive messages reach a greater number of people in the world. The media can be used as a tool to spread disease prevention messages.

"Either we spend all our time mopping the floor, or we get up and turn off the tap," said
Professor Jean Claude Mbanya, the new president of International Diabetes Federation (IDF) during the 20th World Diabetes Congress held in Canada.

The most effective way to turn off the flowing diabetes tap from flooding all over is to give education to people as the slogan ofWorld Diabetes Day this year focusing on 'Understand Diabetes and Take Control', says. There is a need to influence people to be concerned about what they eat so that they can prevent the onset of diabetes.

It has to be a big poke to get all attention. The fastest way is turning the mass media spotlight on the disease. However, in Chiang Mai, Thailand, as in many parts of the world, the media often fail to give adequate attention to the problem of diabetes.

Apichai Mathavaphan, a senior radio announcer and news reporter of MCOT Broadcast Chiang Mai FM 100.75 Mhz. explained that, "There are 13 main Radio Stations in the Chiang Mai, 13 FM stereo and 2 AM, which belongs to Government. And under the new Institution Law 1997 - there are 329 new community radio stations registered in Chiang Mai, 80 - 90 of them are broadcasting radio program daily at the moment."

"The benefit of this is Chiang Mai people can have more choices to listen to what they really like, on the other side some people might not be able to reach the good programmes because there are too many on the radio" said Siripong Wattanapaiboon Director of GSSM Radio Station Broadcast, FM 91.75 Mhz.

"When there are too many radio stations broadcasting at the same time, sometimes it interrupts the other channels and the problem is lack of quality control," said Rattanaporn Suvagodha, Vice Director of Voice of Mass Communication Chiang Mai University FM 100 Mhz.

Despite the fact that Chiang Mai has so many open channels to communicate with audiences including newspapers, television stations, radio stations and other media, many of the outlets lack funding and depend on sponsorship from businesses. As a result, they give very little attention to health-related issues.

"There is not enough health programmes on radio. The DJs themselves don't have deep knowledge about diseases. They are not doctors. They might read something from the newspaper, search online or invite the experts," said Siripong. "When diabetes and other non-communicable diseases which are causing many deaths each year are now increasingly perceived as major issues in society, the media is turning to new diseases such as 'Virus H1N1'. That is how real issues impeding people's health like diabetes have been forgotten" he added.

"In the past, often the media have focused on diabetes campaign a week or two before start of an event without giving continuous education or updating people on prevention efforts. We often talk about things when it's too late. Considerable damage has been caused already by then," said Yanyong, the Head of Radio National of Thailand, Chiang Mai, Thailand. "This way it's like 'building the fence for the lost cow" said Yanyong.

According to Nopniwat Krailerg, Editor of LannaThai-news newspaper in Chiang Mai, media organizations were not in touch with health organizations which campaign on diabetes-related issues.

"We do not often receive any updated information from government or organizations themselves on health issues, if you send something good to us that I find interesting why will I not share it with other people" he said.

"I've been working on health radio program for 8 years and 9 months. I could say that changing people's consumption behaviour is very hard," added Apichai. "In the next few years Thailand will have more elders in society than ever before, because the number of elders is going up to 20% of our population, owing to increase in life expectancy and decline in birth rates among other factors. We have to ask the government and policymakers how much they are prepared for this eventuality" he added.

"The challenges in our work is funding," said Yanyong Somchit, Director of National Radio Thailand (Chiang Mai) while Jareat Hommak, Head of Siang Sam Yod Radio Station also express his concerned at the same point, "The government and policy makers should support the media sector much more than this, people especially with low incomes still listen to radio for information but I think the government doesn't give enough importance to media yet."

"I think we need to make people understand that actually diabetes and non communicable diseases are not far from them, and we should use all media to give education to people, also set up campaign or activities in the community and school to support as well," said Sayomporn Ano the Head of Rajchabhat Collect Radio Station Chiang Mai. "Whoever have media on their hands and know how to use it efficiently their work would be easily successful." he said.

Media and health organizations need to work together to provide more information about diabetes. The use of media can potentially assist many people to know about the disease, ways to prevent it and existing services and approaches to take better care of people living with certain conditions like diabetes.

Jittima Jantanamalaka
[The author is the Director of Jay Inspire and produces radio programmes for FM radio stations in Thailand]

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This article also published at:

Citizen News Services

Jay-Inspire Multimedia & Communication Services

The New Nation – Bangladesh

The Colombo Times - Srilanka

Medindia.net

Modern Ghana

Diabetes Journal

LittleAbout.com

Explore-thailand.net