Only 47% of people with diabetes in Nigeria turn to ‘ doctors’ to manage disease

NEwresearch from the International Diabetes Federation ( IDF) reveals that only 47 per cent of people living with diabetes in Nigeria find their healthcare practitioner to be the most useful source of information to help manage their condition. This means people are turning elsewhere to receive education, with the figures – released ahead of World Diabetes Day ( WDD) on Monday November 14 – showing people in Nigeria using a number of other sources, with one in five ( 21 per cent) turning to Google for diabetes education. A worrying statistic given IDF research found that one in five Google searches for terms related to diabetes reveal inaccurate information about the condition and how to manage its complications.

The research also shows that nearly one in three ( 30 per cent) people with diabetes in Nigeria have seen their time spent with a healthcare provider decrease over the past three years. For over 95 per cent of the time, people living with diabetes are looking after themselves. It is therefore critical that they have access to up- to- date and reliable information to support their self- care and prevent diabetes- related complications. When diabetes is not well managed, the risk of serious health complications increases. These include heart attacks, strokes, kidney failure, blindness and lower- limb amputation.

Sources outside of a healthcare provider can be rife with misinformation. Separate research carried out by IDF earlier this year found that searches for terms including ‘ diabetes’, ‘ how to manage diabetes’ and ‘ diabetes symptoms’ featured results and answers to questions from non- medical sources including Wikipedia, Amazon and Facty – the last of which showed an article on home remedies for diabetes.

Out of 30 search results ( the first results page for each search term), six links directed users to unverified information. In one case, for the search term ‘ diabetes’, users were displayed an advert from an organisation that aims to ‘ wean people living with diabetes from insulin.’ Without an uninterrupted supply of insulin, type 1 diabetes is a death sentence.

This ties in with additional figures from the research, revealing that over one in five ( 22 per cent) people living with diabetes in Nigeria found it hard to understand the details of their condition and almost one in three ( 31 per cent) found it difficult to remain positive in relation to their diabetes.