Type 2 diabetes prevention
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Preventing Type 2 diabetes is easier than you might think with free help and support
Type 2 diabetes is largely caused by lifestyle factors which can be changed to prevent or reduce your chances of developing the condition.
People who carry excess weight are at increased risk because their blood sugar levels are often slightly higher than they should be and fall into the ‘pre-diabetic’ range. If blood sugars remain at this level, patients are more likely to develop Type 2 diabetes.
NHS Suffolk and North East Essex has partnered with Xyla to deliver the NHS Diabetes Prevention Programme free to adults with raised blood sugar.
This video tells the story of two patients – one who made changes to her lifestyle in time and one who didn’t.
The NHS Diabetes Prevention Programme focuses on helping people to lose weight, increase their physical activity levels and improve their diet in ways that fit in with their own individual daily routines.
It also provides support with problem-solving and stress-reduction and shows how people can develop coping skills to manage some of the factors that can cause them to eat more.
The programme consists of a mix of 1-to-1 and group sessions delivered by specially trained health and wellbeing coaches.
The sessions total 19 hours and are spread over nine months.
If you would like to hear more about the programme and how it could support you to reduce your risk of developing Type 2 diabetes, you can sign up for a patient information session. Please note that women with a history of gestational diabetes (GDM) are eligible for the programme. Women who currently have GDM can sign up for the programme but must wait until they have given birth before they can start. Women with a history of GDM can self-refer without a supporting blood glucose test result.
Read more about GDM and the NHS Diabetes Prevention Programme
Click the ‘Check your risk now’ button below to find out if you are at increased risk of developing Type 2 diabetes. You are advised to contact your GP surgery for an appointment if you are.
Other factors can lead to an increased risk of developing Type 2 diabetes but these are things we cannot change. Black people and people of south Asian origin are more at risk, as is anyone with a family history of diabetes or a diagnosis of gestational diabetes. We are all more at risk as we get older.
Change the risk factor you can do something about