World Diabetes Day

Wellness with a Wow

World Diabetes Day

Date:
11/14/2017

The theme of World Diabetes Day 2017 is Women and diabetes – our right to a healthy future.

The campaign will promote the importance of affordable and equitable access for all women at risk for or living with diabetes to the essential diabetes medicines and technologies, self-management education and information they require to achieve optimal diabetes outcomes and strengthen their capacity to prevent type 2 diabetes.

Key messages

All women with diabetes require affordable and equitable access to care and education to better manage their diabetes and improve their health outcomes.

Supporting facts
  • There are currently over 199 million women living with diabetes. This total is projected to increase to 313 million by 2040.
  • Two out of every five women with diabetes are of reproductive age, accounting for over 60 million women worldwide.
  • Diabetes is the ninth leading cause of death in women globally, causing 2.1 million deaths per year.
  • Women with type 2 diabetes are almost 10 times more likely to have coronary heart disease than women without the condition.
  • Women with type 1 diabetes have an increased risk of early miscarriage or having a baby with malformations.
What needs to be done
  • Health systems must pay adequate attention to the specific needs and priorities of women.
  • All women with diabetes should have access to the essential diabetes medicines and technologies, self-management education and information they need to achieve optimal diabetes outcomes.
  • All women with diabetes should have access to pre-conception planning services to reduce risk during pregnancy.
  • All women and girls should have access to physical activity to improve their health outcomes.

Pregnant women require improved access to screening, care and education to achieve positive health outcomes for mother and child.

Supporting facts
  • 1 in 7 births is affected by gestational diabetes.
  • IDF estimates that 20.9 million or 16.2% of live births to women in 2015 had some form of hyperglycaemia in pregnancy. Approximately half of women with a history of GDM go on todevelop type 2 diabetes within five to ten years after delivery.
  • Half of all cases of hyperglycaemia in pregnancy occur in women under the age of 30.
  • The vast majority of cases of hyperglycaemia in pregnancy were in low- and middle-income countries, where access to maternal care is often limited.

Tune in to Divabetic’s special Diabetes Late Nite podcast on Tuesday, November 14, 2017. 6 -7:30 PM, EST with guests Dr. Beverly S. Adler, PhD, CDE, Karline Ricketts, Poet Lorraine Brooks, the Charlie’s Angels of Outreach and Mama Rose Mare.