In observance of the “World Diabetes Day” today, ASEAN called for a more healthy lifestyle to reduce the risks of diabetes among ASEAN citizens. “Due to the enormous disease burden of diabetes, it is one of the major diseases included under the interventions for noncommunicable diseases (NCDs) within ASEAN,” said Dr. Ferdinal Fernando, Head of the Health and Communicable Diseases Division at ASEAN.
In a declaration signed by ASEAN Leaders last month, it was acknowledged that noncommunicable diseases (NCD) including diabetes are now the leading causes of death in the ASEAN region. In this regard, ASEAN will intensify efforts to promote healthy lifestyle and quality service delivery for NCDs, development of advocacy tools, policy advocacy for healthy diets for children, and sharing of good practices ASEAN will also promote screening among people at risk of diabetes to facilitate early detection and primary prevention.
To align the ASEAN Member States’ interventions regarding diabetes and other NCDs with the declaration, the ASEAN Task Force on Noncommunicable Diseases (ATFNCD) had a meeting last month which resulted in an updated work plan for 2012-2015. This was followed by a forum in Manila to provide a platform for exchange of experiences and information on effective interventions.
Source: http://www.asean.org/news/item/on-world-diabetes-day-asean-calls-for-healthy-lifestyle-to-reduce-risks-for-diabetes?category_id=27