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Brief History of Mauritius and Diabetes
Mauritius is
an island situated in the Indian Ocean, with a population of 1.15
million made up of five different ethnic groups: Indian, Creole,
Muslim, Chinese and European.
WHO (World Health Organisation) reports indicate that Mauritius has one
of the highest incidences of non-insulin-dependent diabetes in the
world.
There are a variety of contributing factors for this, some of
which include: genetic predisposition, rapid change in eating habits
(e.g. influx of fast foods) due to rapid industrialization, obesity,
and lack of exercise.
The World
Health Organisation and the Ministry of Health carried out a Disease
and Risk Factor Prevalence Survey in 1987, with the contribution of:
The International Diabetes Institute, Victoria (Australia), the WHO
Collaborating Centres of Newcastle-Upon-Tyne University (U.K), and the
National Health Institute, Helsinki (Finland ).
In
the population group of 25 years and over, 12.7% (i.e. 52,000
individuals) have diabetes and a further 17.5% (or 83,000 individuals)
have impaired glucose tolerance, whereas in the population group of 45
years and over, 23% (or 42,000 individuals) have diabetes and a further
22% (or 40,000 individuals) have impaired glucose tolerance.
Thus amongst Mauritian adults aged 45 years and over, approximately 1
in 2 people have diabetes, or have a high risk of developing it.
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