Sabah has the lowest incidence of diabetes in the country

Low percentage of diabetics in Sabah due to the high poverty rate

According to Queen Elizabeth Hospital (QEH) consultant endocrinologist, Dr Fung Yin Khet, a National Health and Morbidity Survey conducted in 2006 revealed that the prevalence of diabetes affecting the people in the state was about five per cent of the population, while Negeri Sembilan has the highest number of diabetics in the country.

However, the number was expected to rise as the people become better off and adopt the more sedentary lifestyle, he said during a press conference held in conjunction with the 2011 World Diabetes Day to be held this coming Sunday at the Palm Square, Centre Point near here.

Fung attributed the low percentage of diabetics in Sabah to the high poverty rate, especially in the rural areas.
“People in the rural areas are more prone to hard physical work,” he said.

He explained that the illness is exacerbated by the sedentary lifestyle and he is attending to patients as young as 12 years old seeking treatment for the illness.

“Kids are spending more time at home, relying more on technologies and we are seeing a lot of obese children,” he said.

According to Fung, obesity is also one of the common contributors to the illness and warned that diabetes is not an illness that can be cured.

“You can delay its progression, but the best is to adopt a healthy lifestyle and avoid contracting it altogether,” he said.

Apart from obesity and the sedentary lifestyle, genetics also play a part.

“Unfortunately, you cannot abrogate your gene if this ailment is prevalent in your family,” he said.

Nevertheless, the illness can be avoided altogether, he said, urging parents to play their pivotal roles in the upbringing of their children and ensure they lead an active lifestyle.