Reducing the burden of diabetes

strokes, blindness, end-stage renal kidney disease and other health issues. Hopefully therefore readers will pay careful attention to the messages relayed by Anica Sanoir.

RN, CCDE, MSc Diabetes (UK).

CEO Caribbean Lifestyle Diabetes Centre, from the WHO about this dreaded disease. The centre located at 60 Old Southern Main Road, Chaguanas (473-8747) provides care for complicated cases of diabetes and preventive management for patients with diabetes and pre-diabetic conditions in TT through education and nutrition counselling. The Self-Management Education Programme offers the latest diabetes health information for individuals with diabetes and their caregivers. Sanoir and her staff believe that through patient empowerment individuals with diabetes have the knowledge and understanding to successfully maintain a healthy lifestyle and reduce the risk of complications.

WHO is focusing World Health Day on diabetes because: The diabetes epidemic is rapidly increasing in many countries, with the documented increase most dramatic in low and middle income countries. The International Diabetes Federation (IDF) states 415 million people have diabetes in the world; by 2040 this will rise to 600.5 million. There were 140,300 cases of diabetes in Trinidad and Tobago in 2015. A large proportion of diabetes cases are preventable. Simple lifestyle measures have been shown to be effective in preventing or delaying the onset of type 2 diabetes. Maintaining normal body weight.

engaging in regular physical activity.

and eating a healthy diet can reduce the risk of diabetes. Diabetes is treatable. Diabetes can be controlled and managed to prevent complications. Increasing access to diagnosis, self-management education and affordable treatment are vital components of the response. Efforts to prevent and treat diabetes will be important to achieve the global Sustainable Development Goal 3 target, of reducing premature mortality from non communicable diseases (NCDs) by one-third by 2030. Many sectors of society have a role to play, including governments, employers.

educators, manufacturers, civil society.

private sector, the media and individuals themselves.

Goal of World Health Day 2016: Scale up prevention.

strengthen care, and enhance surveillance The main goals of the World Health Day 2016 campaign will be to: Increase awareness about the rise in diabetes, and its staggering burden and consequences, in particular in low and middle income countries Trigger a set of specific, effective and affordable actions to tackle diabetes. These will include steps to prevent diabetes and diagnose.

treat and care for people with diabetes Launch the first Global report on diabetes, which will describe the burden and consequences of diabetes and advocate for stronger health systems to ensure improved surveillance, enhanced prevention.

and more effective management of diabetes.

Diabetes education - Why is it so crucial? Diabetes is a chronic disease that requires a person with diabetes to make a multitude of daily self-management decisions and perform complex care activities. Diabetes self-management education and support(DSME/S) provides the foundation to help people with diabetes to navigate these decisions and activities and has been shown to improve health outcomes. Diabetes self-management education (DSME) is the process of facilitating the knowledge, skill.

and ability necessary for diabetes self-care. Diabetes self-management support (DSMS) refers to the support that is required for implementing and sustaining coping skills and behaviours needed to self-manage on an ongoing basis. Diabetes education has been an essential component of diabetes management since the 1930s and is increasingly recognised as an integral part of chronic disease management. The objectives of educating people with type 2 diabetes are to optimise metabolic control; prevent acute and chronic complications; improve quality of life by influencing patient behaviour and produce changes in knowledge, attitude and behaviour necessary to maintain or improve health. Diabetes education is the cornerstone of diabetes management.

because diabetes requires day-today knowledge of nutrition, exercise.

monitoring, and medication.

according to Patricia Bonsignore.

MS, RN, CDE, diabetes educator.