National Diabetes Week – are you at risk?
14 July 2014
This week is National Diabetes Week (13-19 July), which offers Australians a good opportunity to evaluate how likely they are to join the close to 1.1 million Australians1 who live with the disease.
And that’s only the confirmed cases. It’s estimated the total number of Australians with diabetes and pre-diabetes is around 3.2 million1, representing close to 14 per cent of the population and making diabetes the fastest growing chronic condition in Australia.
Exercise & Sports Science Australia (ESSA) Executive Officer Anita Hobson-Powell says despite the worrying statistics the good news is that up to 58 per cent of Type 2 cases can be prevented.
“The alarming escalation of diagnosed diabetes cases — which is around 100,000 new cases per annum in Australia — is largely attributed to the poor lifestyle choices and associated obesity epidemic in Australia,” said Ms Hobson-Powell.
“Research shows that Type 2 diabetes is far more likely to develop in individuals who are overweight and inactive so the best thing Australians can do is to maintain an active lifestyle by exercising regularly and more importantly, help encourage the next generation to do the same.”
“According to the recent release of the Australia Health Report 20142 by the Australian Institute of Health and Welfare (AIWH), 63 per cent of Australian adults are overweight or obese. While the statistics are concerning for both sexes, they are particularly alarming for males, with 70 per cent of men considered overweight compared to 56 per cent of women. Based on these figures, it is unsurprising that Type 2 diabetes is on the rise.”
“However, it is also important to realise that engaging in frequent exercise can improve your health status on many levels — without a change in body weight. People with Type 2 Diabetes can improve their blood glucose control and reduce their risk of other associated conditions such as cardiovascular disease and depression by doing more exercise, even if they don’t see a change on the scales.”
“It’s time Australians took control of their health and fought back to stop the slide down a very slippery slope. While that might sound like an easy thing to do, our track record shows we’re not very good at managing our health as a nation.”
This opinion is supported by research released last week by Medibank3 that showed the vast majority of people felt they had more control over owning their home and raising their family than managing their health. The research stated that while most Australians aspire to live in good health above all other life aspirations, four out of five people don’t expect they will ever achieve this goal.
“If we are going to stem the obesity statistics and the escalating diabetes cases in the years to come, we have to start by instilling the confidence and belief in our next generation that they are solely responsible for their own health,” said Ms Hobson-Powell.
“We owe it to the future generations of Australians.”
Based on research evidence, ESSA recommends patients with Type 2 diabetes or pre-diabetes accumulate a minimum of 210 minutes of moderate-intensity exercise or 125 minutes of vigorous-intensity exercise a week to gain significant benefit. It is further recommended that this includes at least two resistance training sessions per week to achieve maximum benefit.
“We always recommend an exercise training program is written and delivered by someone with the appropriate qualification and experience to manage a patient’s specific requirements as one size does not fit all and there may be risk of complications,” continued Ms Hobson-Powell.
“Accredited exercise physiologists (AEPs) specialise in prescribing exercise to help people prevent and manage chronic health conditions, such as diabetes. AEPs understand the effects of exercise on the body, both physically and mentally, and help facilitate a person’s behaviour change so that they can adopt healthy behaviours no matter what their stage of life.”
“People with Type 2 diabetes may be entitled to Medicare subsidised treatment sessions from an AEP, upon referral from their GP.”
To find an AEP in your area please visit www.essa.org.au.
// Ends.
1 Diabetes Australia
2 Australia Health Report 2014, Australian Institute of Health and Welfare (AIWH), http://www.aihw.gov.au/australias-health/
3 Medibank research – http://www.medibank.com.au/About-Us/Media-Centre-Details.aspx?news=600
Additional information (source: Diabetes Australia)
Diabetes Australia says almost a million Australians are currently diagnosed with diabetes and estimate almost as many again have the condition and are not yet diagnosed. When you add pre-diabetes into the statistics, the organisation estimates the total number of Australians with either diabetes or pre-diabetes is 3.2 million, which is a staggering 14% of the population.
Symptoms of Type 2 diabetes
In Type 2 diabetes, many people have no symptoms at all, while other signs are dismissed as a part of ‘getting older’. By the time Type 2 diabetes is diagnosed, the complications of diabetes may already be present. Symptoms include:
• Being excessively thirsty
• Passing more urine
• Feeling tired and lethargic
• Always feeling hungry
• Having cuts that heal slowly
• Itching, skin infections
• Blurred vision
• Gradually putting on weight
• Mood swings
• Headaches
• Feeling dizzy
• Leg cramps.
You are at a higher risk of getting Type 2 diabetes if you:
• have a family history of diabetes
• are older (over 55 years of age ) – the risk increases as we age
• are over 45 years of age and are overweight
• are over 45 years of age and have high blood pressure
• are over 35 years of age and are from an Aboriginal or Torres Strait Islander background
• are over 35 years of age and are from Pacific Island, Indian subcontinent or Chinese cultural background
• are a woman who has given birth to a child over 4.5 kgs (9 lbs), or had gestational diabetes when pregnant, or had a condition known as Polycystic Ovarian Syndrome.
For more information please view the ESSA position statement on Exercise prescription for patients with Type 2 diabetes and pre-diabetes.
ABOUT ESSA
Exercise & Sports Science Australia (ESSA) is the peak professional body for exercise and sports science in Australia and provides national leadership and advocacy on key issues. It supports its 3,500-plus members and the community through fostering excellence in professional practice, education, training and research.
Website: www.essa.org.au
Official Media Spokesperson for this release:
Anita Hobson-Powell
Executive Officer
Exercise & Sports Science Australia (ESSA)
Locked Bag 102, Albion DC, QLD 4010
Anita.Hobson-Powell@essa.org.au
Tel: 07 3862 4122
M: 0400 519 800
For further media information, please contact Maya from Fresh PR & Marketing on 0410 109 102 or email maya@freshprm.com.au.
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