Goa has a high incidence of Type 2 diabetics in the 40+ age group, say experts
With a change in lifestyle and eating habits, diabetics can live a full life
Warm and friendly, Allen Sequeira from Margao is the picture of health and energy as he tends to his daily work, taking in a game of badminton in the evening. This may seem nothing out of the ordinary, except for the fact that Allen has been living with diabetes for the past 10 years and is insulin-dependent. “I was depressed when I was first diagnosed with diabetes. But thanks to my doctor, I was able to continue living a full life. All that was required of me was to make a change in my lifestyle, dietary habits and exercise. In fact, I am living a much better life today,” he confesses.
The concept of living a full life with diabetes is, indeed, becoming a reality for many afflicted with the disease, thanks to large scale awareness and education.
“Awareness has increased tremendously. Today, if people know they have a family history of diabetes, they come for a check-up. Similarly, compliance is much better today in terms of treatment and lifestyle modifications like diet and exercise,” explains practising physician, Dr Edelweiss De Sa.
Alarmed at the rising incidence of diabetes in the state, with 18% of the people over the age of 40 afflicted with Type 2 diabetes and those in the age group of 25-30% constituting 6%, Dr Digambar Naik, President of the Diabetes Society of Goa calls for a change in lifestyle habits. “Thanks to a sedentary lifestyle, lack of exercise, eating junk food and overeating, obesity and Type 2 diabetes among young people, particularly those in the age-group of 25 to 30, is on the increase,” he observes.
Cautioning mothers not to overfeed their children, he asserts that a ‘fat child is not necessarily a healthy child’. Rather, he advises that good eating should be cultivated from a young age. “The most frequent question posed by diabetes is ‘what can I eat?’. But the more important question should be, ‘how much should I eat?’ Eating the right amount of calories, balanced with a good exercise regime will definitely help to control the diseases,” he reiterates.
To combat and control these growing numbers, a slew of mobile clinics, initiated both by the government and NGOs, as well as numerous camps conducted by the government and pharmaceutical companies and Diabetes Society of Goa, and the availability of self-monitoring kits have not only enabled easy and early detection, but timely intervention and control as well.
To this end, the Diabetes Society is redoubling its efforts to support and promote the Electronic Medical Records for diabetes in Goa. A comprehensive health passport, it evaluates the entire health of the person. Beyond this, as the Society helps to reduce the incidence of diabetes in Goa, it reinforces its principle purpose, which, Dr Naik maintains, should be the mantra of every concerned citizen – to educate people about diabetes and means of preventing it. If one has diabetes, it should not end in complications and if one has complications, one should strive to live a completely
normal life!
