1. GN FOCUS
HEALTHY LIVING
Tackling early diabetes
By Catherine Rankin Harper, Feature Writer
Published: September 11, 2009, 23:14
Diabetes management awareness among young patients and their families is vital to
keep the disease in check.
With type 1 diabetes a common diagnosis in children, initiatives are being developed to ensure
young patients and their families are aware of, and educated about, the disease in order to be
able to live a normal life. Worryingly, type 2 diabetes — normally diagnosed in adults — is also
being diagnosed in children now, giving rise to questions about lifestyle and diet and creating
cause for concern among medical professionals.
As type 1 diabetes is most often found in young patients, it is understandable that support for
them is becoming more developed. One avenue is a joint initiative between the Emirates
Diabetes Society (EDS) and the Johnson&Johnson Corporate Citizenship Trust, which has
resulted in the formation of the Juvenile Diabetes Education Centre (JDEC), aimed at educating
young diabetes patients and their families.
Dr. Wim Boogaerts, Chairman of Johnson&Johnson Corporate Citizenship Trust, says it is
particularly difficult for children with type 1 diabetes to manage their condition independently
without the required knowledge and skills. "We believe that education on how to deal with
diabetes on a day-to-day basis, not only for these children but also for those around them,
plays a key role in allowing them to develop healthy habits, prevent short- and long-term
complications and provide them with a chance to fulfil their dreams without limitations," he
says. "The lack of diabetes management awareness among children, parents and school
personnel, coupled with the fact that health care professionals are overwhelmed by the number
of patients at the clinics, lead the way for establishing such a centre."
Awareness centres
Khaled Fadhli, General Manager of the JDEC, says the centre has three objectives. "[They are]
providing knowledge and skills to manage diabetes on a day-to-day basis at home and at
school; developing healthy habits, preventing complications and fulfilling dreams without
limitations; and building the professional capacities of future diabetes educators." ›
Children are registered at the centre and given a 'starter kit' comprising a glucometer — to
measure blood glucose levels — and up-to-date education materials. Services at the JDEC
include both one-on-one and group counselling, lectures on subjects such as diet, exercise,

2. insulin therapy and prevention of complications and social activities.
"Patients' and parents' diabetes knowledge is assessed, based on which an immediate suitable
diabetes education action plan is set by the diabetes educators," says Fadhli. "Then a detailed
action plan is discussed and set later on, [for] long-term goal education."
Types of diabetes
Although type 1 diabetes is the most commonly diagnosed in children, it seems cases of type 2
are also on the rise, and — somewhat alarmingly — can be attributed to lifestyles in the region.
Here, awareness and support are perhaps not so developed.
According to Dr. Fiji Antony, chief dietician at NMC Specialty Hospital Dubai and a member of
the BiteRite Advisory Panel (a panel focused on healthy nutrition), the World Health
Organisation has identified lifestyle changes in childhood patterns — in particular, unhealthy
diets and low exercise levels — as factors leading to an increasing prevalence of type 2 diabetes
in children. "The availability of fast food and sugar-rich drinks, even in schools, gives children
the chance to enjoy these food items without knowing that this affects their health," he says.
With the latest studies on this conducted in the UAE in 1999, experts in the field see a need for
new research. "In 1999, 24 per cent of the population had diabetes," says Dr. Abdulrazzak Al
Madani, chairman of EDS and Director of Dubai Hospital. "In ten years many factors have
changed — the type of food, the amount of food, [the availability of] fast food — especially to
young people — the amount of exercise and lack of activity. Playing outdoors happens less, as
children are used to the PlayStation."
High risk factor
While Dr. Madani cannot say for sure if the situation is definitely worse now, he has his
suspicions. "We have to assume that is the case," he says. "In my opinion there is an enormous
number of people living, and especially born in, the UAE who have a very high risk of
developing type 2 diabetes."
So what can be done to combat this? "The solutions are to try to target the young, to re-
educate people about the illness and to let them know how serious it is," says Dr. Madani.
"There are lots of people who can help and it's easily treatable, but you have to know that you
have it, otherwise it can have tragic results."
Dr. Jim Mathew, specialist in internal medicine at Welcare Clinic, Qusais, offers some advice to
parents. "Lifestyle intervention, such as weight reduction, healthy eating, regular exercise and
sometimes using certain medications are the most powerful tools to help prevent diabetes in
the high-risk group," he says.