HOW DO WE KNOW WHEN WE WON THE WAR?

It’s been eight years since the start of the fight against diabetes, and while Singapore has made some progress, experts warn that it may take more time for its impact to be fully assessed as a long-term success.​

Asst. Assoc. “It will always take decades before the impacts and expected trends for chronic disease prevention initiatives can be analyzed,” Ang said.

Dr Diabetes consultant, who is also the former president of Diabetes Singapore. Tan added: “The war will not be won once and for all when we know how difficult diabetes is worldwide and that it has increased inexorably over the last decade.”

He noted that the War on Diabetes will never yield quick results, but it is necessary and is already leading to positive changes.

“We have seen changes in people’s habits, consumer purchasing patterns, industry purchasing, and improvements in disease outcomes,” he said.

Additionally, Prof Teo said it could be difficult to determine the success of the number of people with diabetes as diabetes is a chronic condition, and this number will always increase given the aging population.

“Diabetes is a long-term disease, so it is very difficult to say why some of these policy changes are the reason why diabetes rates (e.g. prevalence rate) have remained stable or fallen,” Prof Teo said.

Instead, Prof Teo proposed a more holistic measure of success.

This includes consumption patterns and how the food and drink industry responds to these measures. Other signs of “winning the war”, he said, would be that fewer people suffer from diabetes complications such as vision problems or cardiovascular disease.

He added: “If the number of people with such complications has gradually decreased over the years, this means that people are now more aware that they have diabetes and are making the right efforts to control its progression.”

For example, Dr Tan noted that major lower limb amputations fell from 116 to 66.3 per 100,000 patients from 2015 to 2019.

Lower body amputations indicate a more serious complication of diabetes and mean that the disease has progressed to an advanced stage.

WHAT HAVE OTHER COUNTRIES DONE?

In the global fight against diabetes, Finland and Japan are two countries that appear to have succeeded by managing to stabilize their numbers.

The IDF reported that the prevalence of diabetes in Finland was 6.1 percent in 2021, while Japan’s was 6.6 percent; In Singapore, this rate was 11.6 percent in the same year.

The Finnish Diabetes Prevention Study (DPS), which started in 1993 and ended in 2001, was the first study in the world to show that type 2 diabetes could be prevented by changing eating habits and physical activity.

Finland subsequently established a Development Program for Diabetes Prevention and Care in 2000; This program lasted until 2010 and focused on preventing type 2 diabetes through lifestyle interventions and improving early diagnosis and care.

It launched national screening programs, promoted physical activity and healthy nutrition, and collaborated with primary care providers to monitor at-risk individuals, ultimately contributing to reducing the incidence of diabetes among target groups.

High-risk individuals identified and included in the program were found to have a 69 percent lower risk of type 2 diabetes after one year of intervention and were able to lose 5 percent of their weight on average.

Meanwhile, Japan launched the National Health Program in 2008 to ensure early intervention and prevention of diabetes. This targeted individuals aged 40 and over and included health screenings and educational support.

As a result, more than half of the country’s population aged 40 to 74 had a check-up, and the program resulted in a 25 percent reduction in the risk of diabetes in patients with prediabetes.

People with prediabetes have higher than normal blood sugar levels, but not high enough to meet the criteria for type 2 diabetes. Being pre-diabetic serves as a warning sign that a person is at increased risk of developing diabetes and other complications.

WHAT MORE CAN SINGAPORE DO?

Singapore has made progress in managing the condition, and those living with type 2 diabetes agree that the government’s initiatives have made living with the disease much more manageable.

Ms. Maureen Ng, 76, a housewife diagnosed with type 2 diabetes, shares a similar experience regarding her sweet tooth and passion for nyonya kuehs.

“Before I was diagnosed, I wasn’t controlling my diet… Then I realized it wasn’t a lifestyle I needed to lead.”

In addition to paying attention to her diet, Ms. Ng has also actively participated in the National Steps Competition since its first season in 2015.

He said the rewards encouraged him to exercise more and helped manage his sugar levels, especially after a heavy meal.

“I just walk around my area a few times and that’s about 5,000 steps and it helps me feel better,” said Ms Ng, who has since made daily walks part of her routine.