Homemakers in Ctg more prone to uncontrolled diabetes

Homemakers in Chattogram tend to be suffering from uncontrolled diabetes at a greater rate due to different reasons, including a lack of a balanced diet.

Students and youths are also inclined to be affected by type-2 diabetes, said experts.

A study conducted on a total of 2,136 diabetes patients admitted to five hospitals in the port city revealed that around 52.3 percent of the respondents were homemakers.

An article on this study was published in the US-based international journal PLOS ONE on May 25, 2022.

Dr Farhana Akter, associate professor of the Department of Endocrinology at Chattogram Medical College, also co-author of the study, said, "In our study, we have found that homemakers do not maintain a healthy lifestyle, which makes them more prone to the risks of uncontrolled diabetes."

"Many of those patients cannot even go for a walk due to their families' conservative mindsets. Many of them do not take their medicines regularly," she added.

Obesity, lack of physical activities -- including outdoor games -- unhealthy lifestyle, and excessive consumption of fast food are among the main reasons for type-2 diabetes in children and young people, said Dr Farhana.

The study also found that 42 percent of the respondents were students of higher secondary level (12th graders), said another author of the article Dr Adnan Mannan, also an associate professor of Genetic Engineering and Biotechnology at Chittagong University.

Around 41 percent of the respondents were overweight.

"Chattogram lacks open space and fields and so children and young people cannot take part in outdoor games. Instead, they are becoming addicted to electronic gadgets," said Dr Mannan.

"Furthermore, many children do not eat a balanced diet and prefer to eat an excessive amount of fast food," he added.