More than half those visiting roadshow were at risk
Fifty-one per cent of people who visited the Know Your Risk Roadshow in Wimbledon were found to be at risk of developing Type 2 diabetes.
The Roadshow, held over two days outside the tube station, proved to be the busiest of the year for the charity which runs the events across the country.
The Know Your Risk Roadshow, delivered by Diabetes UK in partnership with Tesco, identified 132 people out of the 260 seen to be at risk of developing Type 2 diabetes and referred them to their GP surgery for further tests and support.
These figures are a cause for concern with 10,465 people already being diagnosed with Type 2 diabetes across Merton, 6.05% of the borough’s population.
Roz Rosenblatt, Diabetes UK Head for London said: “We are very concerned that so many people in Wimbledon are at risk of Type 2 diabetes. This is a serious health condition that, left untreated or poorly managed, can lead to potential devastating complications such as blindness, amputation and stroke.
“We are also very pleased that we got such a good response in Wimbledon with people coming to the bus, asking questions and really being interested in finding out their risk and what they can do to lead healthy lifestyles. It was the busiest Roadshow of the year for us.”
“A key step to addressing the rising number of people with Type 2 diabetes is identifying people who are at risk of developing the condition and giving them the support they need to reduce that risk. As many as three out of five cases of Type 2 diabetes can be delayed or even prevented through adopting a healthy lifestyle.
“Finding out their risk of getting Type 2 diabetes, means the 260 people who attended the roadshow in Wimbledon are now aware of lifestyle changes they can adopt, such as eating more healthily and taking more exercise to maintain a healthy weight, to delay or even prevent them from getting Type 2 diabetes. We want to help as many people as possible to find out their risk of this serious health condition so that they can take positive steps today that give them the best chance of living a long and healthy life.”
Caroline Silke, Head of Community for Tesco said: “Our customers tell us they want us to make it a little bit easier for them to live more healthily, and it’s great that the money raised for Diabetes UK by Tesco colleagues has funded the Know Your Risk roadshow for the third year running.”
Unlike Type 1 diabetes which is not linked to lifestyle and cannot be prevented, the most important risk factor for developing Type 2 diabetes is being overweight or obese, especially if you are large around your middle. This is something people change by maintaining a healthy weight through eating a healthy diet and taking regular exercise. Other risk factors for Type 2 diabetes, which cannot be changed, are ethnicity – being African-Caribbean, Black African, South Asian – being aged over 40 (or over 25 if you are South Asian), and having a parent, child, brother or sister who has diabetes.
In the UK, there are four million people who have diabetes, of which 549,000 have Type 2 diabetes but do not know it as they have not yet been diagnosed. With these figures set to rise it’s crucial that people find out their risk and make changes now to delay or even prevent developing this serious health condition.
People find out their risk of Type 2 diabetes online at diabetes.org.uk/knowyourrisk For more information about diabetes, visit www.diabetes.org.uk
September 1, 2016