Act today, to change tomorrow!
The World Diabetes Day is observed on November 14th; the date is fixed by the International Diabetes Federation (IDF) and World Health Organization (WHO) to mark the birthday of Fredrick Banting who, along with Charles Best, was instrumental in the discovery of insulin in 1922, the life-saving treatment for diabetes patients. The observation of the World Diabetes Day aims at enhancing the health awareness of diabetics or everyone vulnerable to the disease, and providing the best possible health awareness services.
The World Diabetes Day is observed this year, 2014, under the theme "Act today, to change tomorrow!" The purpose behind marking the day is to prevent diabetes or at least hold back its onset, by following a healthy diet, exercising regularly and maintaining normal body weight. There are more than 220 million diabetics worldwide, and it is likely that this number will double by 2030, unless serious actions are to be taken.
It is noteworthy that around 80% of diabetes deaths occur in low and middle-income countries. The Ministry of Health (MOH) endeavors to raise the universal awareness of diabetes, its incidence rates, and how to prevent the disease in most cases.
Locally:
According to the statistics mentioned in the KSA Health Information Survey Handbook 2013, diabetes rates increase with aging. The incidence rate ranges between 7.8% in persons aged 25-34 years, and 50.4% in persons aged 65 years and over. The incidence of pre-diabetes among male was 17% (1.2 million), compared to 15.5% among females (one million). The total number of Saudi men with diabetes is one million, as opposed to 0.7 million Saudi women.
Internationally Approved Date: November 14th, 2014
Locally Approved Date: Muharram 21st, 1436H
Theme of the World Diabetes Day:
Act today, to change tomorrow!
Targeted groups:
- Diabetics and their families.
- Health decision-makers.
- Diabetes health educators.
- The public.
General Objectives:
Encouraging governments to promote and implement policies of prevention and control of diabetes and its complications.
Supporting and spreading national initiatives to combat diabetes and its complications.
Highlighting the importance of evidence-based education in the prevention and treatment of diabetes and its complications.
Raising people's awareness of the warning symptoms of diabetes and encouraging early diagnosis.
Promoting measures to reduce risk factors of Type 2 Diabetes.
Promoting measures to prevent or hold back complications of diabetes.
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