IDF European Region
The elected IDF representatives for the European Region are:
President: Chris J Delicata, Malta
Vice-President: João
Regional Manager: Lex Herrebrugh
A brand new World Diabetes Day (WDD) campaign video has been produced by the International Diabetes Federation (IDF) to raise awareness of the importance of diabetes education and prevention. "Diabetes can cost you a leg" is a 23-second silent short carrying a powerful message: lack of management of diabetes may cause amputation. The video can be viewed at http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NKjPanA2g2w and is available in English, French, Spanish and Chinese.
The Mental and Physical Health Charter was launched in 2009 and is a result of the collective efforts of the Mental and Physical Health Platform, of which IDF Europe is a member. The Charter includes a Call to Action to improve the lives of people living with mental and physical health problems and their surroundings. Physical illness can be a trigger for depression and surveys indicate that people who are obese are between 20% and 50% more likely to have a depression or anxiety-related disorder. Co-morbid mental and physical illness account for significant healthcare costs. People with diabetes who also have depression may have costs that are between 1.7 and 4.5 times greater than cost of an individual with diabetes alone. In addition, people with severe mental illness are two to three times more likely to develop diabetes and should therefore be considered as an at-risk group.
The UN General Assembly has voted in favour of holding a UN Special Summit on NCDs in September 2011. A letter from IDF President, Prof Jean-Claude Mbanya is posted on our Intranet.
The audio-visual presentations of the Diabetes Education Modules are now available to view in English, French, German, Spanish and Italian.
EU Diabetes Policy Audit: following the success of the first report carried out in 2005 ('Diabetes - The Policy Puzzle: Towards Benchmarking in the EU 25'), a new edition has been published:
IDF Europe's comment on food labelling
For further information on the European Region, please contact:
Lex Herrebrugh
Regional Manager
IDF Europe
Chaussée de La Hulpe 166
B-1170 Brussels
Belgium
Tel: +32 2 5371889
Fax: +32 2 5371981
e-mail: lex@idf-europe.org
