World Diabetes Day

When was the last time you checked your blood glucose levels? Most of us know at least one person living with diabetes. People living with diabetes face a number of challenges, such as the cost of medication and the lack of information regarding diabetes. It is estimated that 1 in 10 people in the world are living with diabetes. World Diabetes Day (WDD) became an official United Nations Day in 2006 with the passage of the United Nations Resolution 61/225. This important day is observed on the 14 November, the birthday of Sir Frederick Banting, who co-discovered insulin along with Charles Best in 1922. World Diabetes Day is the world’s largest diabetes awareness campaign reaching a global audience of over 1 billion people in more than 160 countries. In 2019 there were over 463 million adults living with diabetes. The research indicates that by 2030 some 578 million adults will have diabetes. In many instances individuals are not aware they have diabetes. Untreated or uncontrolled diabetes can lead to a myriad of other health problems such as lost of sight, amputation and sexual dysfunction. 1 in 2 adults with diabetes remain undiagnosed; the majority has type 2 diabetes. There is a distinction between type 1 and type 2 diabetes. Individuals with type 1 diabetes take insulin while those persons with type 2 take oral medication to control their blood glucose levels. In 2019, 4.2 million deaths caused by diabetes were recorded. Research also indicates that more than 3 in 4 people with diabetes live in low and middle income countries. The cost of treating diabetes in expensive; diabetes was responsible for at least $760 billion in health expenditure in 2019, which is 10% of the global total spent on healthcare. The World Diabetes Day campaign aims to be the global driver to promote the importance of taking coordinated and concerted actions to confront diabetes as a critical global health issues as well as serve as a platform to promote the International Diabetes Federation (IDF) advocacy efforts throughout the year. The theme for World Diabetes Day this year is The Nurse and Diabetes. The support and care nurses provide in managing diabetes is incalculable. According to the World Health Organization (WHO), nurses account for 59% of health professionals. The WHO states that the global nursing workforce is 27.9 million, of which 19.3 million are professional nurses. The global shortage of nurses in 2018 was 5.9 million. It is estimated that the number of nurses trained and employed need to grow by 8% a year in order to overcome the shortfall in the profession by 2030. Nurses play a vital role in diagnosing diabetes early to ensure prompt treatment as well they provide self-management training and psychological support for people with diabetes. We can reduce our risk of developing diabetes by becoming physically active, eating healthy, maintain healthy body weight and avoid smoking. Wayne Campbell is an educator and social commentator with an interest in development policies as they affect culture and or gender issues. waykam@yahoo.com @WayneCamo #WorldDiabetesDay ©