Know your risk and take action this Diabetes Prevention Week

People living in Lancashire and South Cumbria are being encouraged to ‘know their risk’ when it comes to Type 2 diabetes.

As part of Diabetes Prevention Week (Monday 22 to Sunday 28 May), Lancashire and South Cumbria Integrated Care Board (ICB) is urging people to think about what factors can increase the risk of developing the potentially life-threatening condition – and what can be done to prevent it.

There are some groups at higher risk of Type 2 diabetes: men, people of South Asian or black ethnicity, people who are overweight and people with a family history of Type 2 diabetes.

Lindsey Dickinson, associate medical director for primary care with Lancashire and South Cumbria ICB, said: “We have to remember that Type 2 diabetes is largely preventable and people who are at risk can significantly reduce their risk simply by making some small lifestyle changes.

“There are more than 100,000 people with Type 2 diabetes in Lancashire and South Cumbria, with thousands more believed to be at high risk of developing the condition and I would encourage people to ‘know their risk’.”

You can find out your risk of Type 2 diabetes in just a couple of minutes by using the Diabetes UK Know Your Risk Score at www.riskscore.diabetes.org.uk or by searching ‘Know Your Risk’.

If you think you or a family member may be at risk, ask at your GP practice about the free local Healthier You programme.

The Healthier You NHS Diabetes Prevention Programme is an evidence-based lifestyle change programme which helps people at high risk of Type 2 diabetes to reduce their risk through managing their weight, eating more healthily and being more physically active.

Research shows the Healthier You NHS Diabetes Prevention Programme has reduced new diagnoses of Type 2 diabetes in England, saving thousands of people from the potentially serious consequences of the condition. It cuts the risk of developing Type 2 diabetes by 37 per cent for people completing the programme.

In Lancashire and South Cumbria there have been 114 participants on the programme in April this year both online and in person at community venues.