Dominica Diabetes Association focuses on student education on World Diabetes Day

The Dominica Diabetes Association (DDA), is observing World Diabetes Day today by focusing on educating the students of the St. Lukes Primary School.

Secretary of the Dominica Diabetes Association (DDA), Fr. Reginald LaFleur said the Dominica Diabetes Association is concerned about what is known as ‘childhood obesity’ which is a major factor with regard to the development of diabetes in the future.

“We are trying to educate the children at the school, to teach them about eating right, being healthy, and exercising,” LaFleur said. “At St. Lukes school there is already a policy whereby they don’t bring any juice to school; they only bring water. We call it water Wednesday and then fruit Friday – on a Friday, they bring fruits.”

He said at the school, they’re also showcasing various food items which provide their sugar content.

Meantime, LaFleur explained that diabetes is a disease which occurs when the pancreas does not produce any, or very little, insulin which is needed to help your body store and use the sugar and fat that a person consumes.

“There are two types of diabetes: diabetes type one which occurs because the insulin-producing cells are damaged and people with type two diabetes [which is the most common], produce insulin, however, the amount that is produced is either not enough or does not work properly.”

He said a third type of diabetes is called gestational diabetes which occurs during pregnancy.

LaFleur added that symptoms include an increase in thirstiness,  increase in hunger and frequent urination and some of the risk factors are mainly associated with family history, being overweight, and hypertension.

He said diabetes has increased over the years and advised Dominicans to try their best to remain healthy by being more conscious of what they eat, how they live and to make regular visits to the doctor’s office.

The theme  for World Diabetes Day is “Diabetes and the Family.”

 

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4 Comments

  1. Francisco Etienne-Dods Telemaque
    November 15, 2019

    That should read “By the way I went to Medical School for a brief period too, so my knowledge is scientific!”

  2. Francisco Etienne-Dods Telemaque
    November 14, 2019

    Well, that is not taught in any medical school; childhood obesity and diabetes  is none scientific, perhaps that’s a Dominica hypothesis, and theory.

    It’s a fallacy; I want the medical, author or researcher to present his or her medical research method they used to confirm their theory, and conclusion.

    I can emphatically state there are people who weighs three and four hundred pounds however they are not hyperglycimic  (diabetic).

    There are people weighing over five hundred pounds, bed ridden who does not have diabetes!

    I am a born diabetic;  lived all of my young life weighting no more than 170 lbs.

    In my old age, my highest weight to date is 192 lbs.

    I do not look fat, I am not a fat man; this thing about childhood obesity is nonsense!

    It is a heredity diseases, brought on also by different physiological issues, and a damage gene.

    By the way I went to Medical for a brief period too, so my knowledge is scientific!

    • November 15, 2019

      I see you got more degrees than a right angle. You in everything, know everything, yet you want to control Dominica by remote control. Good for you, Mr. Telemacak.

    • long_gun_ D
      November 17, 2019

      Clearly, you know not of what you speak! Its best if you were to leave the scientific theory to scientists and we will leave authorship to logophiles like yourself.

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