Indo-US Diabetes Coalition Joins Hands with HRIDAY to Conduct Diabetes Prevention Awareness Walks in Delhi
Starting November 9th 4,000 students, parents and teachers are expected to participate in walks to raise awareness about Diabetes in the community.Ten such walks in ten different areas of Delhi are being organized until the 13th November 2009.
Tweet-- World Diabetes Day is celebrated every year on November 14. "Diabetes Education and Prevention" is the World Diabetes Day theme for the period 2009-2013. With diabetes cases on the rise in India and cases of childhood diabetes increasing 3 times in the last 30 years, awareness about the disease and ways to prevent diabetes is critical. It is important to provide youth with requisite skills to become advocates and community activists for diabetes prevention.
HRIDAY (Health Related Information Dissemination Amongst Youth)-SHAN (Student Health Action Network), a Delhi based voluntary organization of public health professionals, social scientists and lawyers engaged in advocacy and research for health promotion, awareness and informed health activism among youth in India, in collaboration with Indo-US Diabetes Coalition, Public Health Foundation of India (PHFI) and CCDC (Centre for Chronic Disease Control) is observing Diabetes Week from November 9-13,2009. According to Monika Arora, Director: HRIDAY-SHAN, "Health education on preventing diabetes has to start early in life when habits are getting etched and the youth needs to be empowered to make an informed choice for a healthy lifestyle. With this intent, HRIDAY planned to conduct these community walks where students will take the lead as change agents in improving the health of their families and community."
Starting November 9th 4,000 students, parents and teachers are expected to participate in walks to raise awareness about Diabetes in the community. The intent of organizing these walks is to raise awareness for diabetes prevention in communities. Each walk will involve 100 participants (students, their mothers and teachers). Ten such walks in ten different areas of Delhi are being organized until the 13th November 2009. The students, teachers and parents will walk through the streets carrying banners and placards and distribute handouts on the theme of understanding diabetes and importance of prevention. They will try their best to draw attention to the urgency of the problem and the need to take immediate action.
Declaring this week as Diabetes Week, the Indo-US Diabetes Coalition, a new group focused on diabetes prevention among younger generations in India, has launched a series of public engagement efforts. For more information on the walks, and for a schedule of events, visit the Indo-US Diabetes Coalition web-site www.indousdiabetes.org.
Diabetes needs urgent attention!
- Today, about 230 million people live with diabetes in the world (International Diabetes Federation)
- India has the world's largest population of people with diabetes: 41 million which is expected to double to 70 million by 2025 (International Diabetes Federation)
- Diabetes leads to serious health complications
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- People with diabetes have high cardiovascular risk. In addition, they are
- 25 times more likely to develop blindness
- 17 times more likely to develop kidney disease
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- However, diabetes is preventable and can be treated.
Drawing attention of communities to diabetes, Prof. K. Srinath Reddy, eminent cardiologist and President, Public Health Foundation of India, said, "Diabetes can be effectively prevented by a healthy diet and regular physical activity which has been proved very well in several rigorously conducted clinical trials in many parts of the world, including India. We now need to make these a part of our daily living patterns, through community education and facilitating government policies." Dr. Reddy is also a key member of the Indo-US Diabetes Coalition Steering Committee.
"We invite young Indians to participate in these walks and learn how attention to food and fitness can help prevent serious diseases such as diabetes," said Dr. Nalini Saligram, who started the Indo-US Diabetes Coalition. "We hope these walks will be the first steps taken by many young people to making healthy living an everyday part of their future lives."
A Press Conference is being organized by the Public Health Foundation of India and the Indo-US Diabetes Coalition on 13th November 2009 at the India Habitat Centre, to draw further attention to the problem of diabetes in India and the urgent need for prevention efforts. Further details of all the events follow.
