Communication

The International Diabetes Federation (IDF) continues to prepare and release the Federation’s position statements. Requests are received regularly for the opinion of IDF on topics as varied and, at times, controversial as sucrose and alcohol consumption. Martin Silink and Anne Pierson offer us an update on the position of IDF on the current diabetes issues.

One day in 1997, when he and his family should have been celebrating his wife’s birthday, Guy Barnett’s life changed abruptly: having been diagnosed with type 1

Editor-in-Chief's editorial

A newspaper columnist in the UK recently grumbled that, ‘The anti-smoking groundswell seems to have come from nowhere. Why didn’t it occur in 2000 or 1996 or 1986?’ He admitted to being a smoker, and wondered why he was becoming a ‘social pariah’. The reality, of course, is that the health risks of smoking have been known for more than a generation; that the health community has long been demanding a public policy approach to effective tobacco control, and that political change – especially concerning sensitive and contested issues – takes time.

Tobacco consumption is the second leading risk factor for death worldwide. It is estimated that currently 4.9 million people die each year due to tobacco-related diseases and, if current trends in tobacco consumption continue, this death toll will double in 20 years. As research continues into the effects of tobacco on health, the list of conditions that are caused or compounded by tobacco has expanded. There is nowadays evidence that almost every organ in the body is affected by tobacco smoking. Effective control of tobacco consumption has been seen in

President's editorial

The online version of the IDF Diabetes Atlas, the e-atlas, is a key resource for all those with an interest in the health impact of diabetes at national, regional and global levels. The e-atlas covers a range of subjects, including epidemiology and health economics, and offers more than 200 diabetes references and data sources.

Diabetes Action Now, a joint initiative of the International Diabetes Federation (IDF) and the World Health Organization (WHO), aims to stimulate action to address the growing burden of diabetes, especially in low- and middle-income countries and communities. The programme, based at the World Health Organization offices in Geneva, Switzerland, is supported by WHO funds and a grant from the World Diabetes Foundation. As reported previously in Diabetes Voice, Diabetes Action

Education is the cornerstone of diabetes care and management. Yet while many health-care professionals subscribe to this idea, it is not applied universally. In developing countries in particular, much work remains to be done in order to improve the content, structure and provision of diabetes education. Margueritte de Clerck looks at education needs in Africa and makes some recommendations on the role and responsibilities of fellow health-care professionals, particularly those who work in low-income countries.

President's editorial