• Suwa Diviya to hold ‘Live Well Health Fair’ on Saturday

Suwa Diviya will be holding the ‘Live Well Health Fair’ on Saturday (30), bringing together health professionals, vendors, fitness instructors, and many others to raise awareness about diabetes prevention and treatment. The event will take place from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. at Arcade Independence Square, Colombo.

The event brings to a close World Diabetes Month, which was held under the theme ‘Diabetes and Wellbeing’ by the International Diabetes Federation (IDF). ‘Live Well Health Fair’, organised by Suwa Diviya – a non-profit initiative dedicated to combating the rising incidence of diabetes – is designed to engage the public, from children and youth to senior citizens, by offering informative sessions on topics like diabetes management, heart health, nutrition, and physical fitness.

Ahead of the event, Suwa Diviya founder Dr. Kayathri Periasamy spoke to The Daily Morning Brunch about the event as well as the importance of awareness and the work done through Suwa Diviya.

Suwa Diviya

Suwa Diviya is a non-profit initiative that acts as the health arm of Sunshine Foundation for Good. “We are focused on creating awareness on diabetes prevention and awareness on how to keep your diabetes from affecting you in a big way,” the initiative’s founder said, adding that this was the purpose behind the health fair as well.

Suwa Diviya also provides support through support groups, with an online programme as well as an in-person programme. In addition to this, they also conduct health programmes for schools and universities, as well as corporate entities.

“We can change the whole corporate culture to become healthier. Instead of a great place to work, it should be a healthy place to work,” Dr. Periasamy said, explaining the importance of these programmes.

When asked if workplaces are now more concerned about employee health, she said: “They are, and that’s what we capitalise on, showing them how.”

“The younger people are more attuned to this. They read stuff about superfoods. Some feel sad that we don’t get a lot of these foods in Sri Lanka and that things are expensive. They want to get healthy, but they have the impression that being healthy means that it’s expensive,” Dr. Periasamy said, pointing out that this isn’t necessarily the case. This is why awareness and education is important.

According to Dr. Periasamy, the non-communicable diseases (NCDs) include diabetes, heart disease, high blood pressure, cancer, and lung disease. “The interesting thing is that these NCDs are very much preventable,” Dr. Periasamy said, adding that data shows that 60% of NCDs are preventable.

But how is this done? One way is through lifestyle changes. However, this leads to a question on the right information and how one can access or find it. Dr. Periasamy explained that most people only see a doctor or think of changing their lifestyle once they fall sick. With the health fair, Suwa Diviya is hoping to show how small changes can be made on a day-to-day basis to change one’s lifestyle for the better.

All five NCDs mentioned above can be prevented through the same lifestyle changes, she said, listing lifestyle changes such as healthy eating, increased physical activity and being less sedentary, managing weight, and keeping away from smoking and alcohol.

“There is some newer information coming out about how sleep affects our health and how external pollutants affect our health,” she added.

‘Live Well Health Fair’

About the event on Saturday, Dr. Periasamy said it aims to raise awareness about the importance of leading a healthy lifestyle free from NCDs. “It is a space where we are bringing together doctors and health professionals, as well as people involved in a healthy lifestyle, such as healthy food vendors, trainers, and exercise experts,” she said.

Visitors can access free blood sugar and blood pressure testing, have their body mass index (BMI) checked, and also get weight assessments. They can also speak to various health professionals and learn a lot about diabetes, as well as other NCDs like fatty liver and cancer. Representatives from the Sri Lanka College of Endocrinology, Alcohol and Drug Information Centre (ADIC), Sri Lanka Cancer Society, and Sri Lanka Society of Lifestyle Medicine will be at the event.

While the exercise element will cover everything from yoga and meditation to Zumba and more intense types of exercise, vendors will not only showcase healthy food but also cooking methods and equipment that can help people with maintaining a healthy diet. There’s something for everyone, Dr. Periasamy promised.

Another focus area will be mental wellbeing, with therapists and psychologists also speaking at the event. “We are trying to showcase in one event how our health is affected by various lifestyle issues and how there are people we can access to get us into the right path,” Dr. Periasamy explained.

She said that the event would be a fun-filled day, with information tailored for different age groups. For children, the event will combine educational activities with fun and enjoyment, taking an approach of learning through play at the kids’ zone.

“It’s not just show, but also a lot of telling and advising and getting people to learn a lot. It’s a learning experience,” the Suwa Diviya founder added.

Mental wellbeing

Given the inclusion of mental health professionals at the event, we asked Dr. Periasamy to elaborate on the importance of focusing on mental wellbeing. She said the theme of ‘Diabetes and Wellbeing’ covers physical, mental, and social wellbeing.

“When we talk about wellbeing, even though the person has a physical illness, it affects every part of their life, even socially or mentally. It freezes a lot of people, but this aspect is something that we don’t look at a lot. And here is an opportunity to address that,” she explained.

Dr. Periasamy added that according to the IDF, 75% of people living with diabetes or any other NCDs have issues with their mental health. This includes stress, anxiety, and burnout from taking care of themselves.

“The stress is big and it’s something we don’t address,” she said, explaining that during a consultation, doctors usually don’t have the time to cover all aspects of the disease while patients may face certain financial constraints when accessing different professional services, such as mental health professionals and even dieticians.

“When you are a diabetic, there is also a lot of judgment. Now we are saying one in four adults in Sri Lanka have diabetes, so everywhere you go, there are diabetics around you,” Dr. Periasamy pointed out the scale of the problem, adding that 1/3 of these people don’t know they are diabetic.

This is why collective education, such as what will be done at ‘Live Well Health Fair’, is important.