The World Diabetes Day 2006 campaign aims to raise awareness of communities and groups in both developed and developing countries that experience difficulties in accessing optimal diabetes care.Unfortunately, optimal diabetes care is not reaching many – perhaps not the majority – of those who could and should benefit. This is particularly true of people who are disadvantaged and vulnerable.
Disadvantaged - a person or community that is less able to access care
Vulnerable - a person, community or group that is for some reason at increased risk of diabetes or is a victim of unforeseen circumstances that make their health situation precarious
Among the special interest groups that the campaign will focus on we include the economically disadvantaged, migrant communities, ethnic minorities, the geographically isolated, people with a disability, indigenous peoples, and the elderly.
Economically disadvantaged
IDF estimates that the number of people with diabetes will reach 350 million by 2025. Of this total, 80% will live in low- and medium-income countries. Seven out of ten countries with the highest number of people living with diabetes are in the developing world. In many of these countries there is little or no access to life-saving and disability-preventing diabetes treatments. Furthermore, in the poorest countries, people living with diabetes and their families bear almost the entire cost of whatever medical care they can afford.
Ethnic minorities
Ethnic minorities are at higher risk of diabetes than the general population. In many places, access to care is more complicated for these communities as a result of barriers such as language and discrimination.
Indigenous communities
There are more than 375 million indigenous people in the world. Indigenous communities, such as First Nation North Americans, Torres Straight Islanders, Inuit people and Maori New Zealanders among others, are seriously affected by diabetes. More than 40% of Pima Indians in the USA have type 2 diabetes. In Australia the estimated number of indigenous adults with type 2 diabetes is up to four times higher than that of Australians of European descent (10 times higher than the national rate in 25- to 50-year-olds).
The elderly
The global population is ageing. There are around 600 million people over the age of 60 in the world today, and it is estimated that this total will reach almost 2 million by 2050. The elderly are significantly more likely to develop diabetes and its complications than the general population. If state welfare systems are not well developed, being old can be a heavy burden – when coupled with diabetes, an intolerable one.
Więcej na: www.worlddiabetesday.com
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