Globally, the month of November brings many health awareness campaigns. We have compiled a list of some of these below. November 14 is World Diabetes Day; the prevalance of this disease is considered an epidemic by many health organizations.
Do you know what diabetes is?
Diabetes is a chronic disease that occurs when the pancreas is no longer able to make insulin, or when the body cannot make good use of the insulin it produces. Insulin is a hormone made by the pancreas, that acts like a key to let glucose from the food we eat pass from the blood stream into the cells in the body to produce energy. All carbohydrate foods are broken down into glucose in the blood. Insulin helps glucose get into the cells.
According to the World Health Organization (WHO), the key facts of diabetes include:
- 347 million people worldwide have diabetes.
- In 2012, an estimated 1.5 million deaths were directly caused by diabetes.
- More than 80% of diabetes deaths occur in low- and middle-income countries.
- WHO projects that diabetes will be the 7th leading cause of death in 2030.
- Healthy diet, regular physical activity, maintaining a normal body weight and avoiding tobacco use can prevent or delay the onset of type 2 diabetes.
In the U.S. for National Diabetes Month, the National Diabetes Education Program, or NDEP, and its partners are working to raise awareness about the link between diabetes and heart disease with the theme, “Be Smart About Your Heart: Control the ABCs of Diabetes.” The infographic below summarizes the highlights of this campaign:
Fomukong Health Foundation, Inc. hopes that you find a way to bring awareness of your health, and to those around you, on a daily basis. We suggest you make small, manageable changesf that improve your overall health and well being, not just when we are exposed to an awareness campaign of the month.
Month of November Global Health Awareness Campaigns
- World Radiography Day – November 8, 2014
- World Diabetes Day – November 14, 2014
- World Prematurity Day – November 17, 2014
- Pancreatic Cancer Awareness Month
- World COPD (chronic obstructive pulmonary disease) Awareness Day – November 19, 2014
- Lung Cancer Awareness Month
