Male workers more affected by diabetes: Survey

Women in the corporate sector are less afflicted with diabetes than men, show results of a survey by a health insurance company.

Further, the average claims for diabetes-related ailments made by men is almost 13 per cent higher than women, showing that women are managing their diabetes better than their male counterparts, said the study by Apollo Munich Health Insurance

In order to understand the trend in diabetes, Apollo Munich conducted the study on 800,000 corporate health insurance customers across the country.

The findings also revealed that incidence of diabetes takes a huge leap by 20 per cent between 46-60 years among the corporate workforce, as compared to those between 36-45 years.

"Our data clearly emphasises that our workforce is at a higher risk of getting diabetes by the time they reach their mid-forties, which is when they reach the middle- and top-management cadre, where the pressure to perform is high and stress levels peak," said Antony Jacob, CEO, Apollo Munich Health Insurance in a statement.

Alarmingly, the incidence is 50 per cent higher for those who are between 56-60 years, the findings showed.

There are currently 70 million diabetics and another 80 million more in the pre-diabetes stage in India. Prevalence of diabetes is six times more as compared to the rural zones, the statement added.

"Diabetes is slowly affecting corporate India by impairing the productivity of its work force, increase absenteeism at work and also affect the quality of life of its people," Jacob said.

"Corporates should consider opting for group insurance plans that include wellness solutions for their employees to reduce the incidence of diabetes and also possibly aid in controlling its implications," Jacob added.