Education

Ten years ago, without evidence to suggest otherwise, diabetes was not considered a public priority in Cameroon; the emphasis of Government health policy was on tackling the HIV/AIDS epidemic and attempting to eradicate communicable diseases. Efforts had been made to set up centres specializing in diabetes and hypertension, but without the backing of a national diabetes programme, most of these closed within a few years. The lack of data on non-communicable diseases constituted a major roadblock to the development of any such programme.

The rise in the number of people with diabetes in Morocco reflects current global trends. In step with the sharp and ongoing increase in levels of obesity in the urban populations, the prevalence of diabetes is rising. But while the threat of a full-blown diabetes epidemic in Morocco is growing, many people with the condition receive inadequate care as a result of shortages in human and medical resources, poor clinical facilities, and a lack of diabetes education.

Editorial

Optimal diabetes outcomes depend on a lifetime of appropriate care, including self-care, education and management. Health professionals require a body of knowledge and skills in order to provide effective diabetes care, education and management. In 2002, a step towards assisting healthcare professionals to gain that knowledge was taken by the International Diabetes Federation’s Consultative

Nobody can single-handedly manage the many and diverse aspects of diabetes. To be effective, diabetes care requires the coordinated input of people with diabetes and a range of healthcare providers, including a diabetes nurse, dietician, psychologist, pharmacist, physiotherapist or podiatrist, among others. Close

Type 2 diabetes is at epidemic proportions among Aboriginal people in Canada – around 15% of the Aboriginal population from 15 years and older. During the 1980s, healthcare providers at the local hospital in Kahnawake Mohawk Territory near Montreal, Quebec, noticed high rates of diabetes among people with cardiovascular

The drastic rise in childhood obesity worldwide reflects the impact of unhealthy modern lifestyles. Over the last decade and a half, the increase of high-sugar, high-fat processed foods in our diets has combined with sedentary behaviour to radically and negatively affect the health of our societies. Initiatives are urgently required which can reduce the resulting individual and societal burden to physical and psychological health and economic development.

An ongoing initiative of the Pan American Health Organization/World Health Organization focuses on the development of basic procedures to improve diabetes prevention and control: the Building Blocks project. A set of diabetes care guidelines based on the Building Blocks principles resulted from a number of regional workshops involving experts in a variety of diabetes-related fields

The effective delivery of health care requires a partnership between people and their health-care providers. Because of the multidisciplinary nature of diabetes care, this team-based approach is appropriate. Indeed, a multidisciplinary team approach involving people with diabetes and health-care providers, such as nurses, dietitians, pharmacists, and physicians, has been proven to result in lower average levels of blood glucose, a reduction in diabetes complications, and improved quality of life.

Although diabetes-related amputations are preventable, for too many people around the world, losing a limb or part of a limb is a tragic consequence of having diabetes. The high rates of these amputations are an indication of inadequacies in the delivery of health care, which create enormous challenges for those attempting to access high quality foot education and care. In this article, Margaret McGill focuses on current recommendations for health-care providers and makes a call for an individualized approach to diabetes foot care.