A three-day expo on diabetes and walking contests for adults aged 30 and above are among the activities being organised here to create awareness on the condition in connection with the World Diabetes Day on Friday.
‘Dibatex – 2014’, inaugurated on Thursday, is hosted by I.S. Nursing Home and I.S. Diabetes and Hypertension Centre and goes on until November 16 at the Schwartz Hall on the Vestry School premises.
“According to the International Diabetes Federation, there are 63 million diabetics in India,” Dr. N.S. Prasad told The Hindu .
“We have a large number of undetected pre-diabetes cases,” he said.
With the IDF declaring ‘healthy eating’ to be this year’s theme, the expo is going to feature live demonstrations of nutritionally balanced recipes by the nursing home’s dieticians.
Stalls featuring an array of allied services – blood check-up, awareness literature and diabetic medical accessories – form part of the expo. Cultural performance by students and a debate in Tamil are on the cards.
“In Tiruchi, we see Type II diabetes in people as young as 25 years,” Dr. Prasad said at the inaugural function. Consumption of fast food and the lack of exercise are the main reasons. Around 95 to 98 per cent of reported cases are Type II. Some 15 per cent pertains to gestational diabetes (among pregnant women). The purpose of this expo is to create an awareness of the importance of a healthy lifestyle and the need for at least half an hour of exercise five days a week,” he said.
Diabetes Club of Tiruchi, a forum of diabetologists in the city, is hosting walking competitions for adults aged 30 and above on November 16. The free event has 20 first and second prizes on offer for men and women, who will be divided into five groups, as per their age. It will start at 7 a.m. at the Indian Medical Association (IMA) Hall on Salai Road, and end at Vestry School at 9 a.m.
Transport for those who complete the contest route back to the starting venue has been organised.
“We want to inform the public that brisk walking is the easiest exercise to prevent diabetes,” Dr. B. Bosco said. “Walking helps raise good cholesterol levels and control blood pressure,” he said.
As the number of those affected goes up, he said the government should focus on “how to keep people healthy” by starting awareness campaigns in schools and colleges. “We should stop aping the Western diet and get children more interested in physical activity,” he said.
