Research
Education & Awareness
Diabetes foundation (India) initiated the largest initiative against childhood obesity and prevention of diabetes in south Asia covered about 150,000 children from 9 different cities all over India, with the following programs.
CHETNA’,
Diabetes Foundation (India) and Rotary Club of Delhi South-East, through the Rotary South-East Charitable Foundation have initiated CHETNA– “Childrens’ Health Education Through Nutrition and Health Awareness”, a program for the prevention of obesity, diabetes, and heart disease, in order to inculcate healthy lifestyle and nutrition habits in school children, the first such program of its kind in India. This program aims to impart health education on the above issues through lectures, posters, group discussions with children, parents and teachers, and by conducting health camps. Our main aim is that each child should be made aware of a healthy lifestyle so that he/she does not suffer from obesity related disorders like diabetes and heart diseases later in life.
‘TEACHER’
Another multi-centric project by DFI being undertaken in schools is Project TEACHER (Trends in childhood nutrition and lifestyle factors in India), covering 4 major cities of India to obtain in- depth understanding of nutrition and lifestyle behaviors that affect the health and well being of urban Indians , particularly children, through detailed knowlege attitude and practice survey questionnaires, group discussions and anthropometric measurements of children and their mothers
Anthropometric measurements for schoolchildren in Delhi and several cities of northern, western and southern India have been initiated and are being carried out. The children are given correct diet and physical activity advice, and made aware of the various chronic diseases with emphasis on diabetes, obesity and heart diseases which are due to incorrect lifestyle. These programs aim to create awareness about diabetes, obesity, lipid disorders and heart disease, and to act as agents of change for healthy living in society.
A Major Health Education Program Focusing on Women’s Health and Nutrition:
With the help of a grant from the Department of Science and Technology, this project has been initiated in 8 cities in India. In this project, women in the age more than 30 years are targeted for proper nutrition and lifestyle advice and early detection of various diseases such as diabetes, obesity, heart problems and cancer. This is the first nutritional education program in India focusing on middle aged and elderly women.
Mass awareness camps towards early detection and proper treatment of diabetes among general public as well as among the medical and para-medical fraternity has been initiated. Several diabetes health camps have been organized for poor people at Delhi, UP and Haryana and given medical counseling, medicines and insulin free of charge. The aim of these interventions is to spread awareness about high-risk early Screening for diabetes .
‘Independence From Diabetes’
‘Independence From Diabetes’ was organized as part of PANKH event, on 14 August 2007 on the eve of India’s 60th Independence Day at the Indian Medical Association, New Delhi, and was attended by schoolchildren and media representatives in large numbers, as part of a month-long endeavor to create mass awareness towards Diabetes, Obesity and Heart Disease.
Experts of DFI and Health Essayists and Authors’ League (HEAL) organized two workshops on “Fats and Trans Fatty Acids in Indian Diets – Recent Aspects and its Implications’, at Delhi on 10 April, 2007 and Hyderabad on 9 June, 2007, calling for a complete ban on Trans-fats for commercial use.
According to Dr. Anoop Misra, ‘Trans fatty acids are one of the strongest poisons affecting human metabolism today.’ Trans Fats are found in fast food products made with hydrogenated oil in an unregulated market, a time bomb waiting to explode, even as the Union Health Ministry is contemplating for processed food manufacturers to list the Trans-fat content on nutrition basis.
