"Fight Obesity Prevent Diabetes"

Diabetes is a growing public health problem globally, and it is increasingly affecting younger people.  Once diabetes was perceived as a disease of adults and the elderly, but in recent years, increasing number of younger adults and adolescents develop diabetes.  In Hong Kong, diabetes ranked as the eighth leading cause of death in 2003 and the number of death caused by diabetes has been increasing in the past few years. 

Have you ever thought that there is a link between being overweight/obese and developing diabetes?

Obesity is one of the major risk factors for diabetes.  But the good news is, by adopting healthy lifestyle and maintaining optimal body weight, the risk of developing diabetes can be lowered; and for people with diabetes, the risk of developing complications can also be reduced.  In view of this, this year's World Diabetes Day (November 14 every year) has set its focus on prevention of obesity, with "Fight Obesity Prevent Diabetes" as the campaign slogan.  The World Diabetes Day is a global diabetes awareness campaign organized by the International Diabetes Federation (IDF) and supported by the World Health Organization (WHO).

Practical tips for weight control by eating healthily and being physically active are available from the Weight Control page on our website: http://www.hkmenshealth.com/eng/lifestyle/weight.asp .

Come on guys, let's take action to fight obesity and prevent diabetes today!

For information on diabetes, please visit the Diabetes Mellitus section on our website: http://www.hkmenshealth.com/eng/healthline/diabetic.asp and visit Volume 2 of Non-Communicable Diseases Aware, an on-line publication prepared by the Centre for Health Protection of the Department of Health:
http://www.chp.gov.hk/epidemiology.asp?lang=en&id=283&pid=134&ppid=29 .

To find out more about the World Diabetes Day 2004, please visit the following link:
http://www.idf.org/home/index.cfm?unode=A4EE58E4-B60F-4C85-B974-9BFFFB722A96 .

(Last Updated on 11-11-2004)