6-Party Collaboration in Brighter Health Screening Programme Engages Close to 13,000 Malaysians to Increase Awareness of Early Diabetes Detection
Sun Life Malaysia Assurance Berhad and Sun Life Malaysia Takaful Berhad (collectively Sun Life Malaysia), a life insurance and Family Takaful provider respectively has announced the findings from its nationwide glucose screening initiative, the Brighter Health Screening Programme, which discovered an astounding 74.3% of the 12,949 Malaysians screened had higher than normal blood glucose readings*.
The findings from the Programme also indicated a concerning trend of increasing diabetes prevelance not only amongst the nation’s elderly but also amongst the younger population. Specifically, more than 80% of those above 50 years old and 60% of those between the ages of 18 to 30 were found to have higher than normal blood glucose readings.
Speaking on the findings, Raymond Lew, CEO and President/Country Head of Sun Life Malaysia said, “In line with our business purpose of helping more Malaysians live healthier lives, we went to great lengths to engage 12,949 Malaysians across the country, far exceeding our initial target of 10,000. Our efforts include leveraging on the partnership with community pharmacies at 127 branches and also through our Brighter Lives Roadshows to offer complimentary blood glucose tests to visitors at various locations.”
“As the country currently faces a global pandemic, it is clear that a high level of awareness on a particular issue along with taking immediate preventive measures will contribute significantly towards combatting any disease. The same can be said in the fight against diabetes as the findings from our Programme are undoubtedly worrying with the higher than normal glucose readings rising for each age group as the age increases,” added Raymond.
The findings from the Programme also indicated a concerning trend of increasing diabetes prevelance not only amongst the nation’s elderly but also amongst the younger population. Specifically, more than 80% of those above 50 years old and 60% of those between the ages of 18 to 30 were found to have higher than normal blood glucose readings.
Speaking on the findings, Raymond Lew, CEO and President/Country Head of Sun Life Malaysia said, “In line with our business purpose of helping more Malaysians live healthier lives, we went to great lengths to engage 12,949 Malaysians across the country, far exceeding our initial target of 10,000. Our efforts include leveraging on the partnership with community pharmacies at 127 branches and also through our Brighter Lives Roadshows to offer complimentary blood glucose tests to visitors at various locations.”
“As the country currently faces a global pandemic, it is clear that a high level of awareness on a particular issue along with taking immediate preventive measures will contribute significantly towards combatting any disease. The same can be said in the fight against diabetes as the findings from our Programme are undoubtedly worrying with the higher than normal glucose readings rising for each age group as the age increases,” added Raymond.
Conceptualised to identify more undiagnosed diabetes cases amongst Malaysians and champion preventive care with the community, the Programme ran for the last 4 month of 2019 as part of a collaboration with Walnut Wellness, Roche Diagnostics, AM PM Pharmacy, Tigas Alliance and Health Lane Family Pharmacy.
The Programme also amplified its reach through various Sun Life Malaysia digital platforms by raising awareness on the importance of early diabetes detection through endorsements from Sun Life Malaysia Brand Ambassador and movie star, Hairul Azreen.
Commenting on the Programme, Khor Xin Yun, CEO of Walnut Wellness said, “We at Walnut Wellness are committed to improving wellness across the board especially when it comes to diabetes. With 1 in 2 people of 463 million adults living with diabetes globally are unaware they have diabetes, campaigns such as the Brighter Health Screening Programme are extremely critical to safeguarding the long-term well-being of Malaysians. We are heartened by the response the Programme garnered and pleased to see more Malaysians empowered to take better control of their health.”
“Based on our findings from this Programme, we want to highlight the pressing need for everyone from top level policy makers and corporates to families to be more proactive in fighting this silent killer,” said Raymond.
Further findings from the Brighter Health Screening Programme as well as tips and recommendations to mitigate the increase of diabetes can be found in the infographic below.
*Screening conducted using finger-prick tests.
