Four 3rd year Medical students from PAPRSB Institute of Health Science (IHS) have reached out to the public with a diabetes Awareness Campaign at Kampung Kapok, to educate the community on early detection, impart knowledge on prevention and management of the ailment as well as promote healthy lifestyle practices.

The campaign was held as part of the ‘Special Study Module 3’ offered at IHS. Assisted by a number of volunteers from the Institute, a diabetic nurse educator, a nutritionist and an IHS lecturer, the students conducted free health screenings for body mass index (BMI), blood pressure and blood glucose levels, including an interactive discussion on common misconceptions of the affliction, a Zumba demonstration and a cooking competition to top off the event.

The students, Tan Shi Ying, Muhd Adib Aiman Hj Abd Rahman, Afifah Amirah Hakimah Hj Shazli and Azirah Abdul Wahab, under the BHSc Medicine degree programme, sought to base their initiative on diabetes, which is categorized as the third leading cause of death among non-communicable diseases in Brunei Darussalam. Despite its prevalence in the country, 1 in 2 are not aware they are living with the illness and so do not seek out medical care leading to health complications or worse, death. Muhd Adib said, “It is a worrying trend that because of our current lifestyle, increase in obesity statuses, lack of exercise and poor food choices, we also see a rise of young people being diagnosed with diabetes. Moreover, there are a lot of health complications involved and maintaining good health can be costly.” Tan Shi Ying stated that, consequently, “The government spends a lot on medication and treatments.”

Being the only group among their peers in class to conduct a project involving the community and the first since the conception of the module to carry out an awareness programme on diabetes, the success of their event was beyond their expectations.  The students had initially anticipated a modest turn-out but the event had attracted over a hundred residents, who were evidently enthusiastic and engaged.

The Village Head, Hj Awg Marali Hj Ahmad, was full of praises and appreciation for this initiative: “An awareness campaign like this is important for communities and while I’m aware of its pervasiveness in Brunei, many others are not. Here, we learned a lot about preventative measures and how to improve ourselves, especially with lifestyle choices. It would be great if this could be held annually and among all the other villages in Brunei.”

Hjh Nor Hayati Hj Md Yahya, a fellow resident of the village and former nurse, shared similar sentiments: “We need more awareness especially within the villages and the aging population [who are] usually unaware of such things and the revelations are often eye-opening. I support such initiatives and hope to see more all over Brunei.” 

The cooking competition was the highlight of the event as Tan Shi Ying elaborated, “Instead of telling people what to eat, we want to encourage people to actively take their own initiative by looking at different aspects and seeing their interpretation of healthy eating.” Muhd Adib concurred, saying their intention of the cooking class is to show that healthy food can be tasty and delicious – it was all a matter of substituting certain ingredients with healthier alternatives.

With only six weeks to prepare, the biggest challenge involved finances. The group pursued sponsorships and, along the way, learned how to organize an event, make proper approaches and be resourceful and efficient with their funds. When asked to offer advice to their peers and juniors, the four maintained that time management and team work are essential in carrying out a successful initiative. Muhd Adib encouraged students to try out unconventional ideas and to expect the unexpected. In fact, the group admitted to being discouraged at first since they were given the impression that few people would participate in the event; however, they persevered and carried on with their idea, indicating their determination and willingness to go against the odds. Tan Shi Ying asserted that active discussions and communicating with many different people help in identifying feasibility as well as attempting different approaches with similar objectives.

Delighted at the positive response of the villagers, the four hope to encourage others to carry out similar events in the future. They also noted how a community-centred initiative like this exposes medical students to real-world scenarios by applying what they have learned and giving them opportunities to engage people and offer medical advice. Muhd Adib confessed, “This experience has changed my perception because initially I thought people were not going to be as receptive. It makes me happy we are doing something for the community and that there are people out there who are genuinely looking for help and waiting for us to engage them.”