This article is more than 5 years old. Information may no longer be current.
Groups collaborate to launch Asian Diabetes Prevention Initiative
Click Here to Manage Email Alerts
The Asian Diabetes Prevention Initiative has been launched to increase awareness of type 2 diabetes in Asian populations. The website is a collaborative effort between the Department of Nutrition at Harvard School of Public Health and Saw Swee Hock School of Public Health at the National University of Singapore.
“Asia has become the epicenter of the global diabetes epidemic,” Frank Hu, MD, PhD, professor of nutrition and epidemiology at Harvard School of Public Health and co-editorial director of the new website, said in a press release. “By providing the latest advances in research on epidemiology and state-of-the-art practices for diabetes prevention through lifestyle and environmental changes, this website will raise the public’s awareness about this ‘silent’ epidemic and spur urgent actions to address it.”
According to the press release, people of Asian descent are more susceptible to developing type 2 diabetes at lower BMI scores than other populations. The website offers a risk calculator, diabetes prevention strategies and information for healthcare practitioners.
The website also aims to correct perceptions and misinformation. “We need to dispel the prevailing myth that type 2 diabetes is inevitable if it runs in the family. The scientific evidence is compelling that type 2 diabetes can be prevented. We need to get the message out loud and clear now before the diabetes storm in Asia worsens,” Lilian Cheung, DSc, RD, director of health promotion & communication in the Department of Nutrition at Harvard School of Public Health and co-editorial director of the new website, said in a press release.