Page 16 - DIVA_2_2007_No.29

iiifonnation and oru' laiowledge
l'ias to be modified and ripdated.
We also paiticipate in training
and education. A lot of orir work
and policy malcers. Tliere are
is directed towards people iii Q: In my country, never
some good hitemet sites tliat
developing and low-income before have people been
have been set rip by NGOs.
coruih'ies, wliere there is often a involved in so many sports,
Tlie Ainerican Diabetes
lack of tecluiical expeitise and a so much physical activity,
Assocation is one of tliem. You
sl'ioitage of resoirces. but, at the same time, the
will even fiixd recipes for food
population has never been so

as well as a lot of otlier infor-
Q: Do you feel that it is diffi- fat. How do you explain this?
mation for people with diabe-
cult to create awareness about
tes, tlie general priblic and
diabetes among people? It's the balance between iiitalce
liealtli professionals. Anotlier
and liow IIIIICII energy yori rise
good website is tliat of the
I tliii'ik we are becoming increa- up. If yori eat less and do tlie
Intei-national Diabetes
singly successful in creating same amou'it of exercise, you
Federation.
awareness. I believe tliat n'iore would probably not gain so
and more people are beconmg rnucli weiglit. In developed
Q: Would you encourage
aware of diabetes. Tlie difficult coruih'ies, diabetes is closely
people to go and have their
pait is to actually bi'ii'ig aborit a related to social class. Yori do
blood sugar level checked?
cliange, becarise clianges are not often see well-off people
more complex and difficult to wlio are tei-iibly obese; tliey eat
In developed coruiti'ies, tliere
cat-iy orit. In order to encorirage iii a healtliy way aiid take more
will already be a kind of
people to walk, for instance, yori exercise, either becarise tl'iey
screenii'ig policy. It is probably
need tlie wliole society to clian- can afford it or liave more
a good tliiiig to do, as tliere are
ge iii many ways-safe levels of iiicentives and opportimities to
existiiig treahnents, so yori caii
pollution, safe roads so tliat tliere do so. Yori fiitd obesity among
stait tlie treatment earlier,
is no ii'iunediate daiiger to yorir poor people.
before complications liave
life. It is not only tlie liealtli sec-
developed. In low-income
but otlier sec-
Q: For people who would
o tors as well, sucli as ti'anspoita- like to get more information coruih'ies, tlie sitiiation iniglit
tor tliat is involved
be sliglitly more complicated,
tion, education, agi'iculture, etc. about diabetes, do you have a
because even tliose wlio are
so it is mucli more complicated. web-site?
already diagiiosed witli
One staits with awareness-we
diabetes are not beiiig treated
liave a problem, ideally tliis is We liave iifformation 011 tlie

properly due to lack of
IIOW it sliorild be resolved, but it diabetes prograinine on tlie
resources. Tn many poor corm-
takes small steps for govern- WHO web-site. However, it is
hies, tliere is no iiisulin for
ments to accept tlffs. For iiistan- not really desigi'ied for tlie
people witli type I diabetes -
ce, goven'unents in many coun- general public to find orit aborit
tliey just die.
ti'ies will not feel responsible for diabetes. Our website sliows
'o obesity among tlieir poprilation; wl'iat orir projects are and wliat
obesity is perceived as a perso- documents are available, but
nal clioice. However, people do tliis iiffoi-ination is not paiticu-
not always liave a clioice of larly interesting to tlie lay
wliat tliey eat, especially if tliey priblic. Tliey are risually nor-
are poor, and there are measrires mative documents iiitended for
tliat goveriunents can take to tlie rise of liealtli professionals
14 5 2006 Diva
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