Diabetes in Society

Like many of its fellows, the Dutch Diabetes Association (DDA) is faced with a growing number of people with diabetes — currently nearly 1 million out of a total population of 16 million people. About 58,000 of these people with diabetes are members of the DDA . In order to support members’ diabetes management, and attract new members, the DDA has developed several Internet-based applications to reach out directly to increasing numbers of people.

The global obesity epidemic is already staggering – and it keeps on growing. In Canada, for example, one person in five is overweight and nearly one in 10 is obese – a two-and-a-half-fold increase over the past two decades. Moreover, obesity rates among children in Canada have almost tripled in the past 30 years. Our societies are transforming previously healthy children into generations of adults who in future decades will suffer widespread chronic ill-health and overpopulate hospital wards. Efforts to curb the trend have been largely unsuccessful.

There is currently an epidemic of childhood obesity in the USA. Data from the National Health and Nutrition Evaluation Surveys from 1963-65 until the present, show that obesity has increased three- to fourfold, so that now 16% of American children are obese (as assessed by body mass index (BMI) greater than the 95th percentile for age and gender) and a third are above the mark to be considered overweight (greater than the 85th percentile). This has fuelled an epidemic of type 2 diabetes in young people.

The International Diabetes Federation European Region (IDF Europe) represents 62 member organizations, which operate in 45 countries, each with a different culture, healthcare system, economic level and political commitment to support diabetes. Developing common positions and supporting certain policy changes at the European level requires thorough knowledge and understanding of each member’s particular circumstances.

China is at the epicentre of the global diabetes epidemic. Our diabetes population is now the world’s largest: more than 92 million people. Diabetes prevalence in this country, at 9.7%, is among the highest – far higher than the world average of 6.4%. Even more worryingly, nearly 150 million people in China are at high risk for developing type 2 diabetes.

There are huge disparities in the risk of death and disease across the world, with life expectancy at birth ranging from greater than 80 years in Japan and Sweden, to less than 50 years in many African countries. Disparities also exist within countries and, irrespective of a country’s overall wealth, overall risk of disease and death tend to be strongly related to socioeconomic position, with the worse health in the less well off.

Diabetes has a leading role in the current global epidemic of non-communicable diseases. But it has a rather ambiguous relationship with the ‘seventh art’. On the one hand, diabetes has made a number of high-profile appearances in blockbuster movies – which has helped to raise its profile among the general public. On the other, it remains underrepresented – only around a dozen films have dealt with the condition in the past 25 years – and is often distorted by the time it reaches the screen.

Hypoglycaemia at the wheel is the most common acute risk for drivers with diabetes, and a concern for public road safety. Drivers with diabetes worldwide are subject to special legislation, although the restrictions and requirements vary considerably from one country to another. But are drivers with diabetes really a danger? Are they more likely to provoke an accident than people without the condition? João Manuel Valente Nabais steers us through the related research and reports from Europe on the EU’s latest laws on driving with diabetes.

On 12 January 2010, a violent earthquake, measuring 7.0 on the Richter scale, rocked the Haitian capital, Port-au-Prince, and its surroundings. The exact number of victims remains unclear, but the Haitian Government has put the death toll at 230,000 people; 250,000 more were injured and more than 1.5 million reported homeless in the immediate aftermath of the disaster. The Haitian Foundation for Diabetes and Cardiovascular Diseases (FHADIMAC) launched a major campaign to help all people with diabetes and hypertension in the region. Nancy Larco and René Charles report from Port-au-Prince.

Kris Freeman is arguably the best US cross-country distance skier for a generation. A key member of the US ski team, his absolute commitment is typical of the sporting elite. But he has another side: with three Winter Olympics under his belt, he is the only acknowledged endurance athlete with type 1 diabetes. He describes himself as an ardent spokesperson for diabetes awareness.