Public Health England (PHE) has warned that as many as five million adults in England are in danger of becoming diabetic.
The data analysis from PHE has found that five million adults in England are now pre-diabetic and at risk of contracting type 2 diabetes. Diabetes currently costs the NHS more than £8.8bn each year and causes 22,000 deaths.
The findings have led to more calls for the nation to urgently tackle its growing health crisis and put physical activity at the heart of preventative health schemes.
The NHS is currently developing a Diabetes Prevention Programme (NHS DPP) to help cut the number of people at risk of developing the disease. The programme, which runs for nine months, will include information, support, group and one-to-one sessions on weight loss, physical activity and diet for patients.
Practitioners, clinicians, academics and the public are currently being consulted on a proposed outline of the programme, with a phased national rollout starting in 2016.
In an effort to help alleviate the pressure on the NHS and to encourage people to develop an active and healthy lifestyle, the physical activity sector has been offering to help facilitate GP referrals.
“We know how to lower the risk of developing Type 2 diabetes: lose weight, exercise and eat healthily, but it’s hard to do it alone,” said Duncan Selbie, chief executive of PHE.
“PHE’s evidence review shows that supporting people along the way will help them protect their health and that’s what our prevention programme will do.”
The Sport and Recreation Alliance and the physical activity sector have published an open letter to the Government on the impact of Pathways to Work on disabled people and activity levels across the UK.
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Here, we seek to update you on some of the key workstreams we’re focused on, as well as provide an overview of the ways in which you, our members, can foster more inclusive, equitable, and diverse environments for your organisations, including advertising some of the training options we provide (at discount!) and job postings too.
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Here is an end-of-week wrap on some key workstreams we’re undertaking for you, our members, that we want to bring to your attention. It covers a number of important pieces of information for consideration or action.
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