Considering the public health problems and aspects of diabetes, it is a chronic
disease mostly happens to the patient due to the inability to produce or reduced
sensitivity to insulin in the body. It can impose serious health consequences,
particularly cardiovascular diseases, nerve damage, vision problem and feet
disease. Diabetes affects the human body in number of ways and can impose
dreadful effects on the health of the patient.
Diabetes is eventually one of the most discussed topics regarding the health and
demands an immediate and impactful action in order to control its effect on the
human health. But in order to fight against diabetes, it is very important to
understand the effect of diabetes on the health of not only an individual alone
but also a society as a whole. Both Type 1 Diabetes and Type 2 Diabetes can be
considered among the major causes of death and disability around the globe.
Life expectancy of a human is reduced on an average by around 20 years in those
having Type 1 diabetes and up to 10 years in patients with Type 2 diabetes.
Although from the biomedical point of view, health is defined as the absence of
disease and therefore the health of the public or society can be measured by the
incidence & prevalence of diseases. However, WHO or World Health
Organization offers a more social perspective of the term ‘Health’ by defining it
as a “state of complete physical, mental and social well-being and not merely the
absence of disease or infirmity”.
It is estimated that around 180 million people worldwide are living with
diabetes. Moreover, it is important to recognize the extreme burden of diabetes
in developing and mid-income countries mostly in Africa and Asia. A report by
WHO claims that nearly 80% of diabetes deaths occurs mostly in low & mid-
income countries. The reason for this huge count is complex but appears to be
global adoption of less active and lazy ‘Westernized’ lifestyle. The pattern of the
occurrence and prevalence of diabetes among the countries suggests that the
disorder basically originates from a complex combination of lifestyles, diet, sleep
cycle, obesity and innate susceptibility.
Diabetes has now become a crucial and alarming public health issue in the world
especially in India, which demands an immediate and sincere response.
The major driving force behind this uncontrollable growth of Diabetes is
constant change in dietary and physical activity behavior of the humans. While
the diabetes can be studied and treated at different level, it cannot be completely
cured. Be it a developed country or developing one, the emergence of diabetes
and related health issues are increasing at faster pace due to the unhealthy
lifestyle, degradation in the food supply and patterns of consumption, changes in
transportation use and unexpected climate change. Such growth of diabetes at
