Diabetes Awareness
Diabetes awareness hopes to prevent more people from developing Diabetes by educating them on the warning signs and risk factors. Why not educate yourself now with the test and information below and see if you can prevent yourself or someone else in your family from developing Diabetes.
- to help you manage your diabetes effectively and lead a normal and healthy life
Listen to a member of staff with diabetes talk about how they cope in work
Diabetes prevention
At present, type 1 diabetes cannot be prevented. Type 2 diabetes, however, can be prevented in many cases by maintaining a healthy weight and being physically active.
Diabetes risk factors
There are many risk factors for type 2 diabetes. They include:
- Overweight - a waist measurement of > 37" for men or > 31" for women
- Lack of exercise
- Previously identified glucose intolerance
- Unhealthy diet
- Increased age
- High blood pressure and high cholesterol
- A family history of diabetes
- A history of gestational diabetes
- Ethnicity - higher rates of diabetes have been reported in Asians, Hispanics, Indigenous peoples (USA, Canada, Australia) and African Americans
If you think you are at risk of type 2 diabetes, go to your GP and get tested!
Understand diabetes: know the warning signs
The warning signs* of diabetes include:
- Frequent urination
- Excessive thirst
- Increased hunger
- Weight loss
- Tiredness
- Lack of interest and concentration
- Vomiting and stomach pain (often mistaken as the flu)
- A tingling sensation or numbness in the hands or feet
- Blurred vision
- Frequent infections
- Slow-healing wounds
*These can be mild or absent in people with type 2 diabetes.
If you show these signs, seek medical attention!
