KUCHING: Some 3.4 per cent of the state’s 2.5 million population suffer from diabetes.

Over the past two years, the state Health Department recorded a whopping 22 per cent increase in registered diabetic patients.

This has prompted calls for the public to seriously look into adopting a healthy lifestyle.

State Health deputy director (Public Health) Dr Jamilah Hashim said the state continues to record an upward trend in the number of diabetic patients with registered patients increasing from 69,669 in 2011 to 85,108 last year.

“The majority of non-communicable diseases are preventable. It is a lifestyle disease, similar to adult onset Diabetes Mellitus. The government hopes the people will take steps to protect and maintain their health.

“Government agencies including the Health Ministry or state Health Department can plan, launch and implement activities using various strategies and through various campaigns.

“But the diabetes scenario in Sarawak may get worse if the people do not take seriously the knowledge we impart, information we share, clinics and hospitals we operate to offer early screening, early treatment and follow-up visits as well as the many campaigns we launch,” Dr Jamilah told The Borneo Post when contacted yesterday.

She was responding to a recent Oxfam International report on worldwide food quality and consumed food of poor nutritional diversity, which reported that about 2.6 million Malaysians aged 18 and above were diabetics. The number is projected to hit 4.5 million by 2020.

The 2011 National Health and Morbidity Study (NHMS) revealed about 2.6 million or 15.6 per cent of Malaysians aged 18 years and above have diabetes. A total of 5.8 million (32.7 per cent) have high blood pressure while 6.2 million (35.1 per cent) have high cholesterol.

Over the span of five years from 2006, the prevalence of diabetes among those 18 years and above has increased by 11.6 per cent.

To prevent the worsening of diabetes among the population, the state Health Department is implementing the National Strategic Plan for Non-Communicable Disease that included fighting diabetes, Dr Jamilah highlighted.

The plan launched by the Health Ministry promotes a healthy lifestyle through a healthy diet, mind and physical activities and quit smoking.

She explained that the department had launched numerous campaigns to promote healthy eating and food preparation including food demonstrations at the community level. This included promoting less sugar intake.

Others are fitness programmes and at the community level, Non-Communicable Disease Programme (NCDP) and Communication for Behavioural Impact (COMBI) intervention projects.

All these encourage community involvement so they can live a healthy lifestyle and take steps to prevent or control the disease.

“We know that in many instances, knowledge does not necessarily translate into behaviour change. The best our department can do is continue to strengthen our programme and activities. Our hope is that the people will work together with us and live a healthy lifestyle.

“They need to know whether they are at risk of getting diabetes and that they go for regular medical check-ups as early screening enable early detection and early treatment,” Dr Jamilah said.

She said a diabetic must be compliant with treatment, monitor blood glucose level regularly, be alert to early signs of complications and inform their healthcare workers. They need to comply with dietary guidelines, exercise regularly to reach a healthy weight and quit smoking.

source:MJNnews