Epidemiology in Public Health: Diabetes Risk Factors in Malawi

This report discusses the epidemiology of diabetes in Malawi, highlighting its increasing prevalence and associated risk factors. It emphasizes the shift of diabetes and other non-communicable diseases (NCDs) as major public health concerns in low- to middle-income countries, particularly in Sub-Saharan Africa. The report examines the prevalence of diabetes in both rural and urban areas of Malawi, noting the impact of factors such as urbanization, lifestyle changes, and environmental alterations. It further explores the complications of diabetes, the need for community outreach programs, and the importance of promoting healthy lifestyles and public awareness to mitigate the risks associated with the disease. The study also points out the high consumption of carbohydrates in the Malawian diet as a contributing factor. Desklib offers resources for students studying public health, including similar reports and solved assignments.

Epidemiology in Public Health.

Table of Contents
INTRODUCTION.................................................................................................................... 2
DISCUSSION......................................................................................................................... 2
IMPLICATIONS......................................................................................................................2
CONCLUSION....................................................................................................................... 2
REFERENCES.......................................................................................................................2

INTRODUCTION
Diabetes is generally an illness which is occurred when the glucose within
blood, also known as blood sugar, is too elevated. The glucose within blood is
specifically the key cause of energy and it basically come as of the food an individual
generally eat. In this, insulin is a hormone inside the human body, made by the
pancreas and can help the glucose from the food component become the human
cells to be second-hand for producing emerging. In addition to this, occasionally the
human body does not produce enough insulin or does not use the insulin well. the
glucose then stays in the blood stream and does not reach to the cells and other part
of body well. With time, producing or lacking too much of insulin inside the human
body can cause severe health issues. Though diabetes has no cure, but it can be
accomplished by maintaining regular health. In this, there are common types of
diabetes among people such as type 1, type 2 and gestational diabetes. In the type 1
diabetes, the human body does not make insulin. The immune system can attack as
well as can terminate the cells within the pancreas which make insulin. The type 1
diabetes is generally diagnosed more commonly among children as well as young
adult, while it can seem at any age group. The people who are having type 1
diabetes are required to take episodes of insulin on daily basis to stay alive. In
context with type 2 diabetic condition, the human body does not make or does not
use the insulin well. It can develop at any age; this type of diabetes can occur most
frequently in the middle age or among older age group people (Bishu et. al., 2019).
It is the most common type of diabetes among people. in context with Malawi,
diabetes mellitus together with other non-communicable illnesses, mainly the
cardiovascular illness, cancer as well as the chronic respiratory illness is enhancing
and becoming a specific public well-being concern across globe. In this report, there

is a discussion about the prevalence of diabetes among public and the factors which
causing it. In addition to this, there is also a discussion about the impacts of diabetes
on public as a public health concern and can also include the discussion about the
implications to the public health actions which are specifically identified within Malawi
population. In this, it is quite important to choose diabetes as an illness as it can
create a serious issue among public. Public awareness about diabetes is quite
crucial, through this people can receive essential information about their healthy
living. To inform the public about various risk factors that causes diabetes and such
evidences can also play an essential part in preventing illness among people. The
prevalence of diabetes can make a great impact over public health and lead to
increase the rates of morbidity and mortality (Ahmed et. al., 2019).
DISCUSSION
Across nation, there is wide mainstream of years lived with disability as well
as demises due to the NC illness, it can happen in most commonly in the low- as
well as middle-income countries. In context with Sub-Saharan Africa, the non-
communicable illness is generally anticipated to the explanation for almost half of all
the deaths by the year 2030, as deceases from the infectious illness fall, and lesser
children under the age group of 5 years can die as well as the adults can survive into
the old age group with both chronic illnesses, communicable and the non-
communicable illness. In this, the type 2 diabetes is generally the most common form
accountancy for approximately about 89% of overall cases. This type of diabetes is
now becoming more prevalent due to growing the rates of lack of physical activity,
obesity, the nutritious changeovers and urbanisation. Due to the barriers in availing
the diagnosis and treatment consisting the lack of analytical tools, intensive care
equipment’s for glucose as well as the elevated cost of diabetes treatment. The

diabetic patients are so unconscious, not being diagnosed as well as those on the
treatment that are poorly managed and are monitored with glucose stages
sufficiently measured in less than a third (27%) and 60% or more of the patient’s
involving difficulties. In the past decades, the diabetes was not an essential public
well-being concern within Malawi and the incidence, then was less than 1% as
earlier reported in the 1960s to about 5.6% in the year 2009. The discussion also
expressed that within Malawi, the prevalence of diabetes among the both rural and
urban areas and among both male and female (Prevalence and correlates of
diabetes mellitus in Malawi: population-based national NCD STEPS survey, 2014).
Outwardly, it was quite greater in the rural as compared with urban areas, 5.4% in
male than in female, 6.5% but the differences were generally not statistically
significant (p>0.05). In this, the number of participants which were tested for fasting
blood glucose was relatively smaller in the urban than in the rural (Xuan et. al.,
2020).
This such can impact the outcomes as well. therefore, it has been depicted
that the hypertension, excessive smoking, excessive alcohol consumption was
generally more often in the rural areas as compared with urban region. It is known
that the non-communicable illness in general. The diabetes in particular must no
longer be considered as an illness of the affluent, urban or the west. The prevalence
of diabetes was quite same in both male and female and an impaired fasting blood
glucose level was quite elevated in the males as compared with female. In this, the
promotion of the healthy lifestyle as well as the community awareness on the
diabetes should therefore can target both male as well as female, the urban and
rural population. Across Malawi, the complications of the diabetes are more
common, specifically the micro-vascular with prevalence of nephropathy, retinopathy

as well as the neuropathy of the 35%, 35% and 46% respectively and the control of
glycemia and the hypertension are reduced. Therefore, there is a well structured as
well as the utilised community outreach the clinic programmes. These such things
can make more comprehensive by adding the diabetic screening, their treatment as
well as follow-up to the package of the services that are being offered. In the study,
the broader population of the Malawi include great prevalence of cardiovascular
illness factors, obesity and overweight, diabetes, hypertension as well as the
multimorbidity within both urban as well as the rural Malawi. In this, for a nation
which involve a young people with enhancing life expectancy, elevated burden of
these such conditions even in the adult age group people such as 50 years or less,
as well as the non-overweight can signifies elevated rates of heart associated illness
morbidity and premature mortality in the future prospect (Prevalence of obesity,
hypertension, and diabetes, and cascade of care in sub-Saharan Africa: a cross-
sectional, population-based study in rural and urban Malawi, 2018). The
consumption of alcohol and tobacco as well as the lack of physical activity are
recently reduced within Malawi appears to be enhancing.
In this, the levels of consumptions of both alcohol and tobacco are more
comparable to those pragmatics within the neighbouring nations, where the
demographic and sociocultural features and the burden of the chronic infections are
same as well as where the findings may involve highest applications for informing
the well-being policies and interventions as well. from the above information, it
suggests that the urbanisation as well as the linked lifestyle and the environmental
alterations are essential drivers of the both chronic non-communicable illnesses and
certainly, all the specific conditions were being studied and were more prevalent in
the urban residents as compared with rural residents. Nonetheless, it can enhance

the risk that was not uniform, the increased prevalence in the urban than in the rural
area public were diverged more sharply with enhancing age group, whereas the age
significant and the sex-significant pervasiveness of hypertension in the rural public
has specifically advanced that of their urban complements. Similarly, the effects of
enhancing the wealth had a high impact on the risk for diabetes as well as obesity
than for the hypertension. In this, most of the diabetes and hypertension were
remained unnoticed, more markedly among the rural regions, as has been observed
elsewhere in the sub-Saharan Africa and the pattern in the treatment as well as
control can wide-ranging by the region of residence, sex and age. In addition to this,
the magnitude of likely cardiometabolic risk were identified, that is consistent with an
enhancing body of the regional information’s, is more specifically concerning given
that Malawi is the only the poorest country among all across the world. In this, it is
effectively determined that the obesity rates are more affected among female than
the male reports from the neighbouring countries, but it has high age specific
prevalence of obesity and overweight in the urban female, that is more comparable
to those within the enhanced income countries and has a high link of obesity and
overweight with enhancing wealth observed in the male than in female, was quite
unexpected.
It is identified that an enhanced risk of hypertension as well as diabetes at
relatively reduced or normal Basal Metabolic rates as well as in every age
(Prevalence and correlates of diabetes mellitus in Malawi: population-based national
NCD STEPS survey, 2014). It is effectively determined from the high-income
countries, in which only about 20% of the people having hypertension or the diabetes
can contain a normal Basal Metabolic Index. The cause for such inconsistency is
quite unclear, but it might associate towards the other factors significant to the

settings, the exposure of foetal to the maternal malnutrition or the suboptimal prior
childhood nutrition are generally thought to be enhancing the susceptibility towards
the non-communicable illnesses and rates of obesity among adulthood. In this, the
consumption of sodium within both urban and rural Malawi is quite uniformly
elevated. In this, the age specified prevalence generally estimates depict that the risk
of elevating the obesity, diabetes, hypertension and other non-communicable illness
is quite evident in the young people and however, an immediate intervention to
overcome the prevalence of overweight in the urban female of any age are
imperative. The information can specifically high spot the needs for mechanistic
evidences to understand better non-communicable illnesses phenotypes within
Africa, mainly in regard to the early age of onset of the hypertension as well as the
diabetes in relatively lean and the young adults. In addition to this, the extent to
which the cardiometabolic associated risk factors can make impact the future risk of
the heart associated events and mortality within Africa population is not being
understood (Makinde et.al., 2021).
From the other searched articles, it is critically understood that the prevalence
of diabetes mellitus is quite common within Malawi population and it can affect
approximately 269,000 young and older adults generally live with the illness and the
number is quite expected to double in the coming years. It is generally a non-
communicable illness that can occur when the human body cannot turn their food
into energy more appropriately. It can reduce through following the healthy diet as
well as maintaining a healthy body weight as these are the key to effectively control
and prevent the illness. It is understood from the study that Malawian diet is quite
rich in carbohydrates, that are effectively perceived to be satisfying and tasty. The
people residing in Malawi often contains meal in their breakfast such as maize flour

porridge with sugar content and tea with more sugar (Sabiu et. al., 2019). In addition
to this, the other starches such as bread, sweet potato, sweetened fritters as well as
cassava are quite popular. Their lunch and dinner often involve nsima (a thick maize
meal porridge) accompanied by cooked leafy vegetables, legumes such as peas,
beans and cowpeas and eggs or meat such as beef or goat, fish and chicken. From
the studied article, it is identified that to decrease the prevalence of diabetes within
Malawi, there are some of the efforts that can be made to promote healthy eating
among people which must target the whole population and not only the people who
are having diabetes. Through these efforts, the Malawian population can become
healthier and those who have diabetes can able to effectively reduce the impact of
illness and can live a quality of life (Lessons from a diabetes clinic in Malawi: why
everyone should follow a healthy diet, 2020).
IMPLICATIONS
Across global, the cause of diabetes mellitus is generally become a major
public well-being concern issue and mostly affecting the low as well as middle
income countries. It is generally estimated that about 285 million population can live
with diabetes across nation and it quite expected to hit as elevated as 440 million by
the end of year 2030. Across Africa, it is about 12 million, which was estimated to
have diabetes mellitus in the year 2010 and the number has been abruptly enhanced
to approximately 15 million in the year 2011. In context with World Health
Organization, an approach to the chronic illness risk factors surveillance has been
estimated the prevalence of diabetes mellitus within Malawi to be about 5.6% among
the age group such as 25 to 64. In this, the prevalence of 6% is an alarming level
that needed the Malawi government, via the ministry of well-being to an innovatively
respond to the new epidemic. In order to better handle such well-being issues, it is a

wise to adopt a pragmatic and a feasible approach putting in the mind the position of
Malawi on the world economic as well as well-being classification. In addition to this,
it is strongly recommended the approach so as to mitigate the both mortality and
morbidity of the prevalence of diabetes within Malawi. In this, though the primary
well-being care is quite recently functioning system, there are some of challenges
facing the implementation like accessibility towards the well-being services as well
as due to the shortages of resources. The public well-being care was specifically
adopted during the meeting of World Health Organization in the year 1978 as a key
approach towards the well-being of world population. The public well-being concerns
can stress as well as advocate for the points which can formulate the health concept.
These such can be summarized as, access, equity, essentiality, suitable technology,
and a community involvement and empowerment. Consequently, the concept
comprehensively clears some of the worries which might be increased in regards to
the human resources as well as acquisitive resources and even the mechanical
measurements (Ottesen et. al., 2022).
In order to reduce the cause, there are various available sources such as
daily physical activity, a healthy diet, intake of adequate fruits and vegetables, quite
excessive smoking and alcohol consumption, managing healthy lifestyle and many
more. In this, currently there is lack of physical activity among young and older
adults, which causes various illnesses among people such as increased body
weight, cardiovascular illness, diabetes, cancer and many more. In addition to this,
having health knowledge for people having type 2 diabetes is generally an effective
tool in enhancing the care without impacting the well-being care costs. The health
care costs can cause the real qualms in most of the Africa, so with this approach
financial allocations will be so minimal. Well-being understanding or knowledge,

amazingly, has a wonderful positive outcome in the most of the diabetes care
angles. It can effectively aid in enhancing the self-care as well as lifestyle among
public (El-Sayed et. al., 2018). It has been significantly appreciated that the
prevalence of diabetes care within the community is an essential component in the
public well-being care. The community diabetic care can specifically rely mostly over
the well-being information, knowledge as well as communication that are quite
effective and at the similar time it is a cost effective as well. by utilising the well-being
knowledge and understanding as a public well-being care tool is generally found to
be a significant risk reducer as well as it can aid preventing and delaying the onset of
the severe diabetes complications (Primary health care approach to Diabetes
mellitus in Malawi, 2014).
CONCLUSION
From the above discussion, it is effectively concluded that diabetes mellitus is
quite enhancing among population across globe. The above study has significantly
presented the information upon elevated burden of diabetes mellitus, impaired
fasting blood glucose and their associated risk factors within Malawi. In this, there
are the promotions of a healthy lifestyle, community awareness, the early detection
as well as treatment can be prevented and can control the public well-being issues.
The well-being care workers must be trained to be responsible for improving as well
as delivering the essential diabetes education programs that are specifically based
on the characteristics of patients and people. these such things can help to improve
the understanding and knowledge as well as self-efficacy on the prevalence of
diabetes self-care practices which can aid to prevent the diabetes associated
complications. There is a discussion about the number of people who are fall under
the category of being diabetic and causes severe illness or harm to their body. To

reduce all such effects such as cardiovascular illness, cancer, obesity or overweight,
and diabetes, there is needed towards public that people are required to perform
daily physical activities, healthy lifestyle, healthy eating, reducing the consumption of
alcohol and smoking, increase consumption of fruits and vegetables and many more.

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