National Diabetes Prevention Week declared
Nadira Gunatilleke
The Healthcare and Nutrition Ministry has declared a National
Diabetes Prevention Week from November 10 to 16 targeting children and
youth. The week will be held to coincide with the International Diabetes
Day to be marked on November 14.
The Ministry has made arrangements to conduct the week countrywide
with the assistance of Provincial Health Ministries and Provincial
Educational Zones to educate the public and school children. During this
week, awareness programmes will be conducted through posters, banners
etc. The weight and waised size of schoolchildren will be measured
during the week.
According to Ministry statistics urban Sri Lankans have been severely
affected by diabetes irrespective of their age and gender. The lack of
physical activities, eating oil related fast foods and sweetmeats,
artificial foods, psychological impairment etc lead to diabetes. People
should increase the consumption of fresh vegetables and fruits while
engaging in adequate exercise in order to prevent diabetes.
According WHO reports, the number of diabetes patients in the world
in 1985 was 50 million and it was 246 million in 2007. This number is
expected to be 380 million by 2025. These statistics further indicate
that there is an annual increase of 7 million diabetes patients in South
Asian countries including Sri Lanka and India.
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