Test your diabetes risk at OUH
01/04/2019
This article is more than five years old.
Oxford University Hospitals is urging people to eat healthily and be more active to help reduce their risk of Type 2 diabetes during Diabetes Prevention Week (1-7 April 2019).
Healthcare professionals from our Here for Health and Adult Diabetes teams will be joining forces to help raise awareness of and help prevent the condition.
Led nationally by NHS England, Diabetes UK and Public Health, the campaign aims to make people aware of the causes, complications, and risks of Type 2 diabetes and how it can be prevented.
Kate Boys, Health Promotion Practitioner Specialist at Oxford University Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust, said: "Around 200,000 people are diagnosed with Type 2 diabetes every year, but there are things you can do to prevent it. More than half of all cases of Type 2 diabetes could be prevented or delayed.
"Making small changes to your lifestyle now can add up over time to make a really big impact on your future health.
"This includes losing weight, swapping foods that are high in refined sugar for more slow-release carbohydrates, and moving more. A short ten-minute brisk walk is a great way to maintain your body's sensitivity to insulin.
"If you would like any personal support in setting some easy-to-achieve actions to reduce your risk, feel free to get in touch with the team."
Visit Kate and the Adult Diabetes Nurses on Thursday morning (4 April 2019) at the John Radcliffe Hospital to complete a free Diabetes Risk Score, which highlights people's chances of developing Type 2 diabetes in the next ten years.
Diabetes experts from the National Diabetes Prevention Programme will also be on hand to provide further information and support, and advise lifestyle changes to reduce the risk of diabetes.
Geraldine Yebra, Adult Diabetes Specialist Nurse Inpatients Lead at the Trust, said: "Diabetes - especially Type 2 - is one of the biggest healthcare challenges of our time.
"This campaign aims to assure the public that we are here, as their partners, to promote the prevention of diabetes - it is manageable with appropriate care and education.
"This can be achieved by being aware of how even a small lifestyle change can be beneficial.
"It is equally important to help people with diabetes acquire knowledge and skills to manage their condition through education programmes available in the community."
The stall will be held at between 10.00am and 1.00pm on Thursday 4 April 2019, opposite the League of Friends Café on Level 2 of the John Radcliffe Hospital.