KUALA LUMPUR, August 13 — Some Malaysians may think they are in perfect health or know enough about diabetes.
But a recent survey involving 20,000 respondents in the Klang Valley proved otherwise.
It revealed that while 90 per cent of respondents rated themselves as having good overall health, further assessment of current health status showed that 43 per cent of them had some form of underlying conditions.
This included high blood pressure, high cholesterol levels, abnormal blood sugar level and cardiovascular diseases.
It was also found that majority of non-diabetic respondents rated themselves four to five (on a scale of one to seven) for knowledge on diabetes.
But the survey showed they actually had a knowledge gap about the disease.
The survey also highlighted that over 50 per cent of the diabetic patients have the perception that their doctor should be the one taking charge of their diabetes condition.
The survey was part of a campaign, “My Drive Against Diabetes” Ascensia Diabetes Care with Diabetes Malaysia to gain better insight into why Malaysians often show a lack of concern when it comes to diabetes.
Diabetes screening, counselling sessions and interactive activities were also held to promote the pro-active prevention and management of the disease.
Not in the know
Based on Health Ministry’s (MOH) latest report, about 3.6 million Malaysians live with diabetes, which is the highest rate of incidence in Asia and one of the highest in the world.
Worse yet, it is estimated that seven million Malaysian adults are likely to have diabetes by 2025 — a worrying trend that will see diabetes prevalence of over 30 per cent for adults aged 18 years and above.
Ascensia Diabetes Care Malaysia managing director Maximilian Lim said, “For instance, the majority of them identified high sugar intake and family history as the main cause of diabetes although there are other underlying causes, including absence or insufficient production of insulin in the body, old age and inability of the body to properly use insulin.”
The survey also found that the participants had little knowledge about diabetes symptoms as majority associated the disease to increased thirst and urination.
Lim said the disease comes with other common symptoms including, fatigue, blurred vision, numbness or tingling in the hands or feet, weight loss, increased hunger and consistent soreness.
Challenges of tackling diabetes
Speaking about the diabetes situation in Malaysia, Health Ministry non-communicable disease section deputy director and consultant public health physician Dr Feisul Idzwan Mustapha said diabetes was a common universal issue and brought many challenges not only in Malaysia but also in other developing countries.
He highlighted that one of the major challenges in managing diabetes is changing behaviours, which includes adoption of healthy eating and active living as well as adherence to monitoring and treatment.
Dr Feisul also regretted to find that most diabetic patients have the perception that their doctor is responsible for managing their diabetes.
“People with diabetes must take responsibility for their condition and play a major role to control their sugar level and reduce the risk of complications,” said Dr Feisul during the unveiling of the survey result.
Moving forward, Dr Feisul said the fight against diabetes must include soft policies such as raising awareness and knowledge as well as hard policies to change the living environment.
“Besides prevention and management, the government has embarked on a mission to change people’s behaviour and encourage them to adopt healthy lifestyle habits,” he said.
Dr Feisul added that building a healthy environment also requires collective support of government, stakeholders and the communities.
