A whopping 42.5 per cent of the Capital’s population is diabetic, says a study released by The Associated Chambers of Commerce of India (ASSOCHAM).
According to the study – “Diabetes on the Rise in India” – Delhi is leading the diabetes pack, followed by Mumbai, Ahmedabad, Bengaluru, Chennai.
The study has also found that if change of lifestyle and food habits are not made, 125 million Indians are likely to become patients of diabetes by 2035.
India fares poorly
“Besides the cost burden imposed by the disease, the impact on quality of life and productivity of individuals is particularly severe, especially in later years. Recently World Health Organisation (WHO) released findings that placed India among the top three countries with the highest number of diabetes cases,’’ noted the study.
According to the study, about 42.5 per cent of Delhi population suffers from diabetes, while in Mumbai and estimated 38.5 per cent of the total population is in the grip of the disease. In Ahmedabad 36 per cent people are diabetic, in Bangalore 26.5 per cent while in Chennai the percentage is estimated to be 24.5 per cent.
In Hyderabad and Kolkata, the number of diabetes patients is estimated at 22.6 per cent and 19.7 per cent of the total population respectively. Even in rural areas, people are increasingly becoming patients of diabetes.
“Timely screening and early identification of the disease can help the victim take immediate steps and improve the quality of life. To enable this, ASSOCHAM and its members, under CSR activities, are organising a series of free medical camps in Delhi, where comprehensive check-up, counselling, diet plan and information on diabetes management is being made available to participants,’’ said a release issued by ASSOCHAM.
Speaking about the study, D.S. Rawat, secretary general, ASSOCHAM, said: “Diabetes today is one of the biggest health threats to our country and immediate steps are needed to contain its spread. Our research has found that people procrastinate taking a screening test in the absence of any immediate symptoms of the disease.”
According to the study, Delhiites consume high amount of oil/ghee/butter in various cooked products. This has evidently increased the number of obesity and hypertension cases, giving a rise to number of diabetics. The ASSOCHAM findings have revealed that diabetes among men has increased by 25 per cent while among women it has shot up to 42 per cent.
The study included major cities like Delhi-NCR, Mumbai, Bangalore, Kolkata, Chennai, Ahmedabad, Hyderabad, Pune, Chandigarh, Dehradun among others.
A little over 500 employees were selected from each city on an average. ASSOCHAM health committee warns that uncontrolled diabetes can affect various parts of the body, which include blood vessels, heart, kidney, eye, food and nerves, and therefore adequate preventive measures need to be adopted to control the spread of diabetics among Indian populace.
There are an estimated 85 million people in India who are suffering from pre-diabetes, a condition in which the patients have high blood glucose level but are not in the diabetes range. These people are at high risk of getting diabetes.
Around 55 per cent of the study respondent fall under the age bracket of 20-29 years, followed by 30-39 years (26 per cent), 40-49 years (16 per cent), 50-59 years (2 per cent) and 60-69 years (approximately 1 per cent). The study was able to target private employees from 18 broad sectors, with maximum share contributed by employees from IT/ITes sector (17 per cent).
Employees working in engineering and telecom sector contributed 9 per cent and 8 per cent respectively in the questionnaire. Nearly 6 per cent of the employees belonged from market research/KPO and media background each.
