Due largely to the worsening lifestyle many people in the Kingdom are currently pursuing, diabetes has spread like wildfire amongst people, and particularly young people, including children. Mounting concern led the Jeddah Health Affairs Management and Ministry of Health to jointly inaugurate the annual diabetes campaign at Al-Andalus Mall in Jeddah last week. The campaign is focused on providing services and information with one aspect of it including representatives from Jeddah's King Abdulaziz University, who participated by distributing leaflets of information about diabetes, its symptoms, diagnosis and methods of prevention. “Diabetes has spread amongst the Saudi community because of a number of reasons, including hereditary factors, a decrease in insulin in the blood, pregnancy and obesity,” remarked Dr. Hanan Al Rafe'e, the supervisor of the Health Care department in the Ministry of Health. “The main factor behind diabetes in children is obesity, and this is becoming particularly significant in women.” She is an advocate of that age-old weapon against diabetes: a change in lifestyle. Targeting obesity with a change in habits, particularly, can combat the disease. “In this year's campaign, we are targeting children since the disease is progressing most amongst young people,” added Dr. Al Rafe'e. “We are teaching them primarily, to use the miswak and toothbrush to clean the teeth during the day and avoid the consumption of sweets and chocolate.” Saudi Gazette spoke with Dr. Hana'an Al-Safi, a family consultant at the Primary Health Care department within the Jeddah Health Affairs Management, and she stressed the importance of vigorous exercise. “Eighty percent of diabetes patients are suffering from obesity and not taking any exercise or playing a sport,” she stressed. “In Saudi women, the obesity factor is doubled, so patients need to realize that they must change their lifestyles.” According to her, the large number of fast-food chains and their comparatively low cost are one reason why mothers have lost control over what their children consume. “Each woman has to understand her role in raising awareness of the consequences of obesity early on in her child's life and adapt a specific lifestyle for the child from an early age,” she stated. “The child can eat five meals a day, but vegetables and fruits need to be radically increased instead of rice and meat.” She also called for the establishment of specialized centers and gyms to promote athletics and sport amongst the new generation. “The new generation is a cultured one, and can adapt to an altered lifestyle easily, but they need to be encouraged for this from the state,” she explained. “If Jeddah municipality established parks and sports clubs in every district, it can boost the ability of ordinary people to register at the clubs and partake in sporting activities.” Dr. Sami Badawood, director of the Health Affairs management at the municipality also stressed the need for diabetics to change their lifestyle. “Such a campaign will not change the habits and customs of people but it allows us to reach out to as many citizens as we can and raise awareness about what they can do to help themselves in this disease.” - SG “Changing the person's lifestyle will certainly decrease the risk of having diabetes, where seventy percent of the diabetes cases occurred because of the lifestyle,” he added “Such campaign will not change all people's culture, but we can reach the biggest number of citizens who will read about the diabetes and start using different lifestyle to avoid it.” – SG Popular myths about diabetes u While type 1 diabetes has nothing to do with one's weight, obesity can be a trigger for type 2 diabetes. Body fat can interfere with the body's ability to use insulin, causing type 2 diabetes. However, this is not the only cause of type 2 diabetes, and not all people with type 2 diabetes are overweight. Family history and genetics also play a large role. u People with diabetes are able to eat sweets, chocolate, or other foods with sugar as part of a healthy and balanced meal plan. As long as diabetics can identify the carbohydrate values in the treats they are eating, they can adjust daily meal plans accordingly. u People with diabetes do not need to eat special food. The same nutrition guidelines that apply to the general population also apply to diabetes; maintain the proper balance between carbohydrates, fat and protein, avoid saturated and trans fats, as well as foods high in sodium and sugar. u Many people believe they only have a borderline case of diabetes, but there is absolutely no such thing as borderline diabetes; you either have diabetes or you do not. In fact, people who refuse to admit they have diabetes can be in serious danger of experiencing a number of diabetic complications. u It is possible to have a condition known as pre-diabetes, in which a person frequently experiences blood glucose levels that are above average but not high enough to be considered an indicator of diabetes. Pre-diabetes is a serious condition that must be monitored and managed constantly to avoid development of diabetes and other associated complications. __
