Health experts have suggested that schools create awareness on the control and prevention of obesity, which is primarily responsible for an alarmingly high incidence of type-two diabetes among children.
Talking to The Express Tribune in connection with the World Diabetes Day on November 14, doctors said type-two diabetes was considered an adult disease till a few years ago but now it also affects children, especially those below the age of eight. Dr Asma Maqsood, Medical officer at the Diabetic Association of Pakistan, said currently 7 million people in Pakistan are suffering from diabetes and about 17% of these are children. The percentage is alarming and calls for immediate steps to be taken to protect future generation from becoming diabetic. “While several risk factors are associated with diabetes, it is observed that many children suffering from it are obese.”
She suggested that schools should educate children about proper diet and sleep, and the importance of exercise. “Schools should stop selling high-calorie snacks that make children gain weight such as cold drinks, burgers, french fries and samosas.”
Parents, too, are not without blame. “Parents readily take their children to try out new deals offered by fast food restaurants without considering harmful effect on their health,” Dr Masood said.
Dr Usama Ishtiaq, Consultant Endocrinologist at Shifa International Hospital, said the World Diabetes Day 2012 campaign marks the fourth year of the five-year focus on “Diabetes education and prevention”.
“Many parents are not aware that their children are diabetic and they keep stuffing them with unhealthy foods,” he said. “Another challenge is to stress that prevention of diabetes through a lifestyle change is preferable to controlling it with drugs.”
Recent studies found out that besides obesity, girls under 20 who suffer from polycystic ovary syndrome (POS) are also at high risk of diabetes, he added. POS is a condition in which a woman has an imbalance of a female sex hormones, according to U.S. National Library of Medicine’s website.
Danish ambassador Ole E Moesby said, “Pakistan is currently ranked at number seven in diabetic population and is feared to become fourth by 2030, if interventions are not in place. These are precious lives, which can be saved if more awareness is given on prevention and effective treatment.” He was in a meeting with Country Representative for WHO in Pakistan Dr Guido Sabatinelli.
Dr Sabatinelli said, “The situation calls for development of a comprehensive plan for prevention and control of diabetes to ensure that these services are available at the level of primary healthcare.”
Prevention and control of diabetes within a national framework for controlling and preventing of non-communicable diseases is the most appropriate strategy, he added.
Published in The Express Tribune, November 14th, 2012.
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Eat lot of raw vegetables and fish. Take lot of exercise.