Diabetes in Society

Talk to anyone with diabetes or their family members about living with such a complex condition and they will tell you about the many physical and psychological issues they continually face. This article highlights some of the principal psychosocial concerns affecting diabetes care and explains how social workers can help people to cope with the challenges and changes which are triggered by diabetes.

While stress has long been considered an important factor in Type 2 diabetes, there has been very little experimental evidence to show how it might affect the development of the disease. This article looks at recent research evidence which demonstrates the relationship between stress and the onset and course of Type 2 diabetes and describes how simple stress management techniques can have a significant impact on long-term diabetes control.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) in the USA has labelled diabetes 'the epidemic of our time'. Indeed, diabetes is the sixth leading cause of death by disease in the USA, with 75% of diabetes-related deaths attributable to cardiovascular disease. According to the US Office of Minority Health, the prevalence of diabetes among African-Americans is about 70% higher than in Caucasians, and the prevalence in Hispanics is nearly double that of Caucasians. Currently it is estimated that 2.3 million African-Americans and 1.2 million Hispanics have Type 2 diabetes in the USA alone.

When someone is sick, be it short-term or long-term, we immediately think of the costs this person has to bear in terms of both physical pain and of the money needed to buy drugs and other supplies to get better or keep the condition under control. We might also go as far as to consider the financial costs borne by national healthcare systems. But there is more to health economics that this. Delve into this article to find out why we cannot remain blind to the so-called indirect costs of diabetes.

So-called 'late onset diabetes' is now more widely termed Type 2 diabetes. And for very good reasons. It was previously the case that childhood and adolescent diabetes was nearly exclusively Type 1 diabetes and that Type 2 diabetes very rarely affected the young. Sadly, this is no longer true. As the spread of 'westernized' lifestyles gives rise to a steep increase in rates of obesity worldwide, Type 2 diabetes is rapidly emerging among children and adolescents.

In 1992, the Singapore government noted that the obesity prevalence among schoolchildren was 14%. Singapore's population has a relatively high prevalence of diabetes, at 9.2%. Rates of obesity and overweight are high – 6% of the adult population has a body mass index (BMI) of more than 30 kg/m2, and around 25% have a BMI above 25 kg/m2. Recent years have also seen the increasing appearance of young onset Type 2 diabetes and impaired glucose

Together with its 'twin sister', childhood obesity, Type 2 diabetes is spreading among young people around the world. This constitutes a serious public health problem; by their 30s, generations of young people will have been living with Type 2

According to World Health Organization (WHO) figures, 23 million people in India have diabetes, more than in any other country in the world. By 2025, this number is expected to increase to over 57 million. In other words, one in seven people in India will have diabetes. The increasing prevalence of diabetes seen throughout Asia is a reflection of the effects of westernization, urbanization, and mechanization, all of which are associated with a sedentary life style. Diabetes requires life-long treatment and impacts upon people's daily lives. It carries the risk of chronic complications.

'Dreaming, learning, doing' is the inspirational slogan of the International Diabetes Youth Ambassadors (IDYA). As the former National Youth Advocate for the American Diabetes Association (ADA), Clare Rosenfeld received a multitude of e-mails from young people with diabetes around the world. Some asked for assistance; others for education. All of them shared a dream of one day seeing a cure for diabetes. This dream led Clare to contact Children with Diabetes (CWD), in the hope of creating a global programme to unite these young people.

Diabetes is not unique to people. About 1 in every 500 dogs and about 1 in every 200 cats has diabetes, and as is the case with people, these numbers are increasing. Margarethe Hoenig looks at the symptoms and treatment of diabetes in cats and dogs.