Dubai: A house-to-house Dubai Health Survey covering 5,000 families — both nationals and expatriates — has revealed that the prevalence of diagnosed diabetes has decreased by nearly two per cent, said an official of the Dubai Health Authority (DHA).

The results of the survey, which targeted people above the age of 18, and was conducted by DHA in collaboration with the Dubai Statistics Centre in 2014, were announced on Wednesday.

The first survey conducted in 2009 showed the prevalence to be 13.2 per cent among UAE nationals and six per cent among expatriates while the 2014 survey reveals this to have fallen to 11.6 per cent among Emiratis and 4.16 per cent among expatriates.

This brings Dubai close to achieving the national health agenda goals for diabetes which is targeted to be reduced from the current incidence of 19.3 per cent to 16.3 per cent by 2021.

Dr Mohammad Hassani, consultant endocrinologist at Dubai Hospital, told Gulf News: “While these figures only pertain to Dubai and not the entire nation, they are good markers for the incidence of diabetes in the country and also demonstrate that we are on track.”

The survey found that the majority of those who suffer from diabetes are those aged 60-69 (53.8 per cent), they are then followed by those aged 50 to 65 (30.22 per cent).

The prevalence naturally decreases significantly among younger people as the survey found that the prevalence is 15.38 per cent among those aged 40-50, 3.57 per cent among those aged 30-40 and only 1.04 per cent among residents aged 20-30.

The DHA plans to launch the second phase of the survey that will cover those up to the age of 18 and also target undiagnosed and pre-diabetic cases, Dr Fatheya Al Awadi, chair of the Dubai Diabetes Committee and head of the endocrinology department at Dubai Hospital, said.

“Implementing the phase 2 screening is vital as it will allow for early management of those previously undiagnosed with diabetes, launch prevention programmes for the very high risk group and promote a healthy lifestyle among those who are at low risk,” she said.

Explaining why the incidence of diabetes was decreasing, Dr Al Awadi said, “The rate is decreasing due to the increasing child birth rate over the death rate in Dubai. A vast majority — 64.3 per cent — of the Dubai population is below the age of 35, making them at low risk of diabetes. The youth are at a lower risk of developing diabetes and that is why the percentage is decreasing.”

The survey found that percentage of expats with diagnosed diabetes decreased from 6 per cent in 2009 to 4.16 per cent in 2014.

Dr Al Awadi explained: “This is because the majority of expatriates who come to the UAE are working young males who are at a low risk of diabetes.”

She added that there was a chance of diabetes prevalence increasing as the population ages and that is why it is important to have preventive programmes in place.

The survey found that the prevalence of diagnosed diabetes among the residents of Dubai, which is 11.6 per cent, is slightly higher than the Mena prevalence, which is 10.7 per cent. That was attributed to a more active lifestyle followed by those living in Tunisia, Jordan and other places than in the GCC countries.