World Diabetes Month Educational Messages were propagated via print and social media to promote the IDF World Diabetes Day theme for 2014 - 2016: Healthy Living and Diabetes. The 2014 activities and messages focus on the importance of starting the day with a healthy breakfast to help prevent the onset of type 2 diabetes and effectively manage all types of diabetes to avoid complications. o Eating a healthy breakfast decreases the risk of developing type 2 diabetes o The wide availability of cheap energy dense low-nutrient food is contributing to the global epidemic of type 2 diabetes. o Foods which reduce the risk of type 2 diabetes such as vegetables, fresh fruit, whole grains and unsaturated fats need to be more affordable and more widely available. o A healthy diet containing leafy vegetables, fresh fruit, whole grains, lean meat, fish and nuts can help reduce a person's risk of type 2 diabetes and avoid complications in people with diabetes o Diabetes is a huge and growing burden: while 382 million people were living with diabetes in 2013 that number is expected to balloon to almost 600 million people by 2035. o Up to 11% of total healthcare expenditure in every country across the globe could be saved by tackling the preventable risk factors for type 2 diabetes. o Over 70% of type 2 diabetes cases can be prevented or delayed by adopting healthier lifestyles, equivalent to up to 150 million cases by 2035 Picasa link