We can expect to see 1 million Type 2 diabetics in Singapore by the year 2050, a statistic which will inevitably place burden on our healthcare system and workforce. Singapore also has the second highest proportion of diabetics in developed nations, with 10.53% of the population between 20 and 79 diagnosed with diabetes, a figure topped only narrowly by the United States. Furthermore, diabetes is no longer a disease afflicting the old and weak, with increasing rates of younger people developing diabetes. How do we make sense of such figures?
Associate Professor Alex Cook explains how the NUS Saw Swee Hock School of Public Health works to forecast statistics of diabetics in future populations, while Professor Chia Kee Seng, Dean of the NUS Saw Swee Hock School of Public Health explains the economic burden diabetes places on the nation and shares some simple advice on injecting physical activity into our sedentary lifestyles.
Watch the episode here: