World Diabetes Day (WDD) was created in 1991 by the International Diabetes Federation (IDF) and the World Health Organization (WHO) in response to growing concerns about the escalating health threat posed by Diabetes. WDD is the World’s largest Diabetes awareness campaign having a global reach of over one billion people in more than 160 countries. The campaign draws attention to issues import to the Diabetes world and keeps Diabetes firmly in the public and political spotlight.
In 2020, the World Diabetes Day campaign focuses on promoting the role of nurses in the prevention and management of Diabetes. Nurses currently account for over half of the global health workforce. They do outstanding work to support people living with a wide range of health concerns. As the number of people with Diabetes continues to rise across the world, the role of nurses and other health professionals becomes increasingly important in managing the impact of the disease.
Keeping in mind the theme of the year, College of Nursing, GMU and Thumbay University Hospital (TUH) jointly celebrated the day in the OPD area of TUH. The Semester 5, Year 3 Nursing students prepared a Diabetic diet plan catering the demography of the population commonly seen in the Hospital. Indian, Sri Lankan and Arabic diet plans were prepared and the OPD patients were provided information on the vital role of a healthy meal plan in maintaining blood glucose level and body weight. Body Mass Index (BMI) was also calculated for all the audience visiting the exhibition area. BMI calculation is a screening tool to determine the risk for developing lifestyle health risk like Diabetes and other Non-communicable diseases.