Editorial

In Europe, 52 million people live with diabetes – around 8% of the adult population in the region. In 20 years’ time, estimates indicate that more than one in ten adults in Europe will have diabetes, if nothing is done to reverse the epidemic. Worryingly, one in three adults with diabetes is undiagnosed in Europe, meaning that many people already have at least one complication by the time they are diagnosed.

To highlight the urgent need to act, we - IDF Europe-, and together with our partners from the European Coalition for Diabetes, have published on World Diabetes Day the 4th edition of Diabetes in Europe: Policy Puzzle, a pan-European audit which documents the evolution of diabetes policies in Europe. Our survey highlights that, although Europe is making progress, it is simply too slow and too limited to stem the tide of diabetes.

Implementation and evaluation of diabetes policies appear to be major weaknesses in an overwhelming majority of countries in Europe. Needless to say that without proper implementation, monitoring and evaluation, we will not be able to determine what works and what does not work, and what needs to be improved. We simply cannot afford this in time of economic hardship, and when policy makers increasingly call for sustainable healthcare systems.

Another alarming finding: despite clear efforts to provide some level of education to people with diabetes, 75% of European countries still do not recommend continuous education for people living with this condition. We have also identified that too few family members of those diagnosed with diabetes receive education.

As we have been celebrating World Diabetes Day all around the world, these findings and the latest estimates from the IDF Diabetes Atlas remind us that inaction is clearly not an option. We have the political declarations, we have the will and we have the commitment. What we now need is to see this translated into concrete action on the ground.

By this we mean being able to provide support to a little boy who has just been diagnosed with type 1 diabetes and to his family about how to manage his condition, to help an elderly person who has eye problems because of diabetes but who does not have access to regular screening services, and to inform a mother with diabetes about how it could affect her unborn child.

Individuals like these are the ones who ultimately benefit from comprehensive, properly implemented policies for diabetes care and prevention. Now more than ever, we need to continue our tireless efforts at local, national and European levels to make sure that these policies are adequately developed and implemented, in order to protect the future of millions of citizens in Europe and beyond.

João Manuel Valente Nabais

IDF Europe President

2014 World Diabetes Day, Issue n° 34 - 26 of November 2014

Highlights

Europe making too little progress to stem the tide of diabetes The 4th edition of Diabetes in Europe: Policy Puzzle, highlights that implementation and evaluation of policies are still major weaknesses across the region. Read More Gathering support from policy-makers to act on diabetes Providing evidence on diabetes policies and raising awareness of healthy lifestyles, IDF Europe reached out to policy makers on WDD in the European Parliament. Read More   Polish Diabetes Association and Dr Gaspar from Portugal win 2014 Prizes in Diabetes The Polish association and Dr Gaspar received the prizes in recognition of their relentless efforts to improve the lives of people with diabetes and those at risk. Find Out More

News from Europe

Albania: driving new policies to act on diabetes During the first two weeks on November, the Albanian Diabetes Association marked WDD with a series of screening and healthy eating events in cities across the country, with the moto being ‘Eat Healthy, Live Healthy’. Read More Belgium: engaging with ministers to put diabetes high on the agenda With the international healthy eating theme for World Diabetes Day, Diabetes Liga disseminated this message to policy makers to stress the need to act on diabetes. Find Out More   Bulgaria: Healthy living and diabetes Under IDF’s moto for World Diabetes Day 2014, Healthy Living and Diabetes, the Bulgarian Diabetes Association led a series of initiatives from press conferences to educational seminars on diabetes management. Read More    Croatia: educating citizens about diabetes in public transport Croatia marked World Diabetes Day with the launch of a 6-month, nation-wide campaign on the symptoms and risk factors of diabetes displayed in public transport. Read More   Cyprus: cycling for diabetes The Cyprus Diabetes Association made sure diabetes was high on everyone’s agenda to mark World Diabetes Day, meeting with policy-makers and organising cycling tours to raise awareness of diabetes and healthy lifestyles. Find Out More   Denmark: when diabetes runs in the family The Danish Diabetes Association focused its WDD ativities on the genetic link of diabetes through generations, and of the importance of regular screening for family members of people with diabetes. Read More   Germany: gathering political support to the diabetes cause DiabetesDE – German Diabetes Aid successfully targeted policy makers during its WDD campaign which included roundtable events and publication launches. Read More   Ireland: empowering people to make the healthy choice From launching an online risk assessment test to seminars on food labelling to help people make the healhy choice, here's an overview of activities led by Diabetes Ireland. Read More   Lithuanian Diabetes Association celebrates 25th anniversary To mark this occasion, the Lithuanian Diabetes Association worked on events focusing on “Healthy Living and Diabetes” for this year’s World Diabetes Day. Find Out More    Malta: leading policy-makers show support for World Diabetes Day The Maltese Diabetes Association gathered strong political support to its activities which included a successful screening event to raise awareness of diabetes. Read More   Moldova: improving access to diabetes treatment World Diabetes Day celebrations focused on access to diabetes treatment, still a key issue in the Republic of Moldova. PRODIAB led a series of activities to bring the issue to the attention of policy makers. Find Out More   Norway: tools and tips for healthy eating In line with the global campaign, activities around World Diabetes Day in Norway focused on healthy diets to reduce the burden of diabetes, with a special focus on alcohol consumption. Find Out More   Poland goes blue for World Diabetes Day The WDD campaign in Poland spread throughout November, including educational seminars for people with diabetes and healthcare professionals, scientific conferences, screening events and charity concerts. Read More   Portugal: youth group raises awareness of diabetes in schools The Youth Group of the Portuguese Diabetes Association met with children in schools to raise awareness of diabetes, and of what it means to live with the condition. Find Out More   Celebrating Diabetes Awareness Month in Serbia Serbia contributed to the global campaign for WDD with a series of sporting events, screening campaigns all around the country and taking part in the Blue Monument Challenge. Find Out More   Slovenia: empowering people with diabetes The importance of patient empowerment to help people with diabetes make informed decision about their condition was one of the main focuses of this year's World Diabetes Day campaign in Slovenia. Find Out More   Spain: calling on citizens to support policies promoting healthy lifestyles The diabetes community reached out to fellow citizens on WDD, collecting signatures for a petition for policies promoting healthy lifestyles to tackle diabetes. Read More   Sweden: World Diabetes Day takes over social media Ung Diabetes, the youth group of the Swedish Diabetes Association, led a campaign on Instagram in the run-up to WDD sharing storing of people with diabetes. Find Out More   "Healthy eating, healthy living": Swiss Diabetes Association celebrates World Diabetes Day Switzerland raised awareness of healthy lifestyles and prevention with its campaign which included presence in key public spaces across the country. Read More   The Netherlands: youth advocates mobilise for World Diabetes Day Informing, supporting and empowering young people with diabetes and exploring new diets was on the agenda of youth advocates to mark WDD in the Netherlands. Find Out More   Prevention and healthy lifestyles on focus in Turkey Turkey raised awareness on all fronts for WDD, from interviews on national radio to workshops for children, including partnerships with supermarket chains. Find Out More   Uzbekistan: educating healthcare professionals on prevention and early diagnosis WDD celebrations in Uzbekistan focused on prevention and early diagnosis, and targeted healthcare professionals, people with diabetes and those at risk. Read More