More people 'now aware of diabetes'
Over a year after the Ministry of Health declared a "war on diabetes", public awareness of diabetes has increased, Senior Minister of State for Health Amy Khor has said.
Dr Khor told The Straits Times yesterday at an event marking World Diabetes Day, which falls on Tuesday: "Increasingly, we can see that a lot more people are aware. The take-up for the DRA is pretty good."
The Diabetes Risk Assessment (DRA) tool is a quick online questionnaire. Since its launch on Sept 1, about 44,000 users aged 18 to 39 have used the DRA.
Around one-fifth were found to be at higher risk.
"The awareness is there, but we must continue to put in the effort to get the public to take action," added Dr Khor.
More than 400,000 Singaporeans live with diabetes, with one in three having a lifetime risk of developing it.
To encourage more women with a history of gestational diabetes to go for screening, the Government is thinking of giving them access to screening subsidies without them having to complete the assessment questionnaire, Dr Khor said. - TOH WEN LI
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