The worst enemies in a war against a complex disease

Diabetes is a “wicked problem” and there is no single factor that increases one’s risk of developing it. We have many enemies in this War: behaviour, genetics, socio-cultural and psycho-emotional factors…

But the worst? Apathy and Complacency.

The most worrying age group is those under 40 years old, says Dean, Prof Chia Kee Seng, adding that “at this age, they are more concerned with pursuing wealth, very often at the expense of their health”. This reiterates the need for a mind-set shift to place equal focus on both wealth and health, which he shared in his ST Opinion piece last Friday.

Prof Chia said that combatting diabetes requires “constant adjustments and innovations” and has to be done from multiple battlegrounds. He added, “We should avoid oversimplifying the issues and turning to quick and easy solutions for immediate results.”

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