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SA JOURNAL OF DIABETES & VASCULAR DISEASE
EDITORIAL
VOLUME 8 NUMBER 2 • JUNE 2011
51
Women and diabetes
FA MAHOMED
T
he theme for this issue of the journal is ‘women’s healthcare
and diabetes’. Women face a number of factors that have a
profound effect on their health and this issue looks at some
of these.
R Green-Thompson reviews diabetes care in pregnancy, from an
obstetrician’s viewpoint. TD Naidoo discusses urinary incontinence
in the diabetic female.
The combined rates of overweight and obesity in women are
high in South Africa: 56% according to Puoane
et al
.
1
and 53.9%
according to WF Mollentze.
2
This adds to the burden and risk
of disease and needs to be addressed. For this reason, weight
management and surgical options are discussed in this issue.
Smoking is another important cardiovascular risk factor in South
Africa that needs to be addressed. Estimates of smoking in women
range from a national average of 10 to 15%, to as high as 38% in
some subgroups.
3
Our diabetes personality is Fiona Prins, who is a diabetes nurse
educator. She highlights some of the peaks and troughs of life as
a diabetes nurse educator in South Africa. The principle problem
is non-recognition of diabetes education as a speciality area in
nursing, and the consequent lack of extra remuneration in the way
of the occupation-specific dispensation. These nurse educators
play a vital role in the training of patients and their relatives. Most
doctors, because of heavy workloads, omit this time-consuming
role and nurse educators step in and fulfil this function.
Getting a diabetes nurse education course approved by SAQA
has remained a difficult and elusive goal. We urgently need to get
diabetes nurse educators trained and recognised, so that they can
achieve their full potential in diabetes care in South Africa.
References
1.
Puoane T, Steyn K, Bradshaw D,
et al
. Obesity in South Africa: The South African
Demographic and Health Survey.
Obesity Res
2002;
10
: 1038–1048.
2.
Mollentze WF. Obesity in South Africa: a call to action. Editorial.
J Endocrin Metab
Diabetes S Afr
2006;
11
: 44–45.
3.
Health Systems Trust. Health Statistics: Prevalence of smoking. http://www.hst.
org.za/healthstats/53/data Accessed 5/2/2011.
Correspondence to: Dr FA Mahomed
Department of Internal Medicine, Grey’s Hospital, Pietermaritzburg
Tel: +27 (0) 33 897-3213
Fax: 086 6474 729
e-mail: Fazleh.Mahomed@kznhealth.gov.za
S Afr J Diabetes Vasc Dis
2011;
8
: 51.
Dr FA Mahomed
