Cases of Type 2 Diabetes are escalating globally, particularly in South Africa’s O. R. Tambo Municipality, with 27% of the population in this district found to be diabetic according to survey results conducted between 2010–2014.
This is the footing for the study conducted by Walter Sisulu University’s Department of Human Biology Medical Scientist, Dr Yandiswa Yako, as part of the South African Diabetes Prevention Program (SA-DPP) initiated by the Non-Communicable Diseases Research Unit (NCDRU) of the South African Medical Research Council (SAMRC).
Yako said, “Type 2 diabetes has a significant financial burden on the public healthcare system in South Africa. According to the scientific article published by Erzse and co-authors in 2019, public sector costs of diagnosed and undiagnosed T2DM patients were approximately R2.7 billion and R21.8 billion.”
The project will implement and evaluate the suitability, applicability, and appropriateness of the SA-DPP that was developed and tailored in the Western Cape Province and peri-urban populations in the Eastern Cape Province of South Africa.
“It is estimated that this cost will increase to R35.1 billion if the prevalence of type 2 diabetes continues to increase, care regimes are maintained and case-finding improved without any intervention programs implemented at the primary care level to reduce the burden of type 2 diabetes,” said Yako.
The project will focus on health education, especially concerning the consumption of healthy diets and nutrition, engaging in physical activity as well as education on the effects of smoking, stress and alcohol consumption.
“Such information is very important considering that diabetes and lifestyle diseases are concerning in Africa at large against the background of the high prevalence of HIV/AIDS and the newly discovered COVID-19, which are both associated with diseases of the metabolic and cardiovascular systems,” added Yako.
The study will be carried out by Yako and five co-investigators that include SAMRC researcher, Prof Andre Kengne, Specialist Scientist Dr Jillian Hill of the SAMRC, Mthatha General Hospital Medical Practitioner, Dr Simthandile Toni, Department of Human Biology researchers, Professor Constance Rusike and Dr Hannibal Musarurwa.
“SA-DPP will help to understand if lifestyle interventions shown to be effective for diabetes prevention in other countries are transferrable in the South African setting using context-specific and resources-sensitive approaches that will improve the scalability of the interventions”
The project is also in partnership with other national and international researchers from the University of Melbourne in Australia, Cape Peninsula University of Technology, University of Stellenbosch, University of Cape Town, and the University of the Western Cape.
By Ongezwa Sigodi
