War on diabetes

Headlines

The Australian aid programme and Australia’s two leading diabetes research centres have combined to

help tackle the growing diabetes epidem

ic in the Pacific.

A $A793,000 ($U5601,285) project,

announced on October 29 in Fiji by Australian Minister for Development Co operation Gordon Bilney aims to reduce the impact of diabetes and other lifestyle related diseases, which together account for much of the disability and mortality in nations of the Pacific.

“Thirty years ago diabetes was almost unknown in the Pacific, now the region has some of the highest diabetes preva lence in the world. The increased mortali ty and morbidity associated with the dis ease has devastating social and economic consequences in countries which can ill afford the burden.

“Recent studies show the frequency of diabetes in men in rural Western Samoa has increased eight-fold in 13 years.

Estimates are that the number of people with diabetes in the Pacific Islands will double in the next 15 years,” Mr Bilney said.

The project, focusing on Fiji, Western

Samoa and Kiribati, will train health pro fessionals in identification, prevention and management of diabetes and lifestyle -related diseases. It will also train com munity workers, teachers and others with close links to the community on ways members of the general population can improve their own health and prevent

lifestyle-related diseases.

“Increases in diabetes are largely due to unhealthy lifestyle,” said Professor Paul Zimmet, director of the International Diabetes Institute, which together with the Royal Prince Alfred Hospital Diabetes Centre will implement the project.

“The people of the Pacific are adopt

ing a Western-style diet and exercising

less. Among other things, we will be encouraging people to incorporate tradi tional foods and activity patterns into their modem lifestyles,” said Professor Zimmet.

Specific health promotion activities will be designed to screen and manage diabetes in pregnancy and prevent and manage diabetic foot disease.

Currently 10-15 per cent of pregnan

cies in the Pacific region are associated with gestational diabetes and in Fiji alone, over 400 foot amputations are performed annually for diabetes foot sepsis, 50 per cent of which could be prevented by sim ple education in preventative foot care.

Gordon Bilney.