More Qatari women are diabetic than men: Study

LANI ROSE R DIZON

DOHA DIABETES affects more women (53.2 percent) than men (46. 8 percent) in Qatar, according to studies contained in the first ‘Qatar Diabetes Briefing Book’ which was releasedon Tuesday by the public-private partnership Action on Diabetes.

According to the book, about 16.7 percent of the Qatari population suffers from diabetes, which means to 283, 806 Qataris are living with diabetes.

In addition, a high proportion of Qataris (12.5 percent) have impaired glucose intolerance, a pre-diabetic state and major precursor to diabetes.

The book, which was released to coincide with the World Diabetes Day, presents an overview of the current diabetes situation in Qatar and identifies the risk factors that need to be addressed to delay or prevent the onset of the disease.

Addressing the media, Dr Al Anoud bint Mohammad al Thani, director of health promotion and non-communicable diseases at the Supreme Council of Health also said that the book presents sustainable solutions to change the lives of people with diabetes.

According to the diabetes briefing book, about 93.9 percent of Qatari women with diabetes have a waist circumference above normal. The number of complications in patients visiting diabetics’ clinics is also high. About 48.6 percent of males and 41.1 percent of females had retinopathy, while 24.3 percent of males and 15.9 percent of females had coronary heart disease.

The book also includes a 2011 national diabetes study on the general population’s awareness level of diabetes, its causes and complications.

Based on the study, 53 percent of the population believes that diabetes is less serious than heart disease, 46 percent believe that diabetes does not lead to heart disease and 54 percent have the belief that diabetes does not lead to stroke. Also, 37 percent of the population is at risk of developing diabetes and the vast majority of 93 percent have never been informed of the risk factors.

Qatar Diabetes Association Executive Director Dr Abdullah al Hamaq said, “Combined with rapid urbanisation, motorised transport and convenient fast-food, people have adopted more sedentary lifestyle. Less exercise paired with a diet high in fat result in a large percentage of people being overweight or obese, which is a major factor for type 2 diabetes”.

According to the book, a 2012 study found that 68 percent of Qatari women are overweight, of which 43 percent are obese. In comparison, 72 percent of all Qatari men are overweight, of which 40 percent are obese.

Also, people who are 40 years of age or older are over six times more likely to have diabetes compared to people between 20 and 39 years of age.

Among expatriates, type 2 diabetes is up to 5.2 times more common in people of Bangladeshi or Pakistani origin and up to 2.8 times more common among those of Indian or African Asian origin compared to Caucasians.

It also states that with the increasing life expectancy, the burden of diabetes in the Gulf region is expected to more than double to 9.2 million people by 2030.

Other officials from the Supreme Council of Health, Hamad Medical Corporation, Primary Health Care Corporation, Novo Nordisk, Qatar Diabetes Association, Maersk Oil, and Qatar Foundation also addressed the press conference.