Diabetes UK has so far encouraged nearly 30,000 people in the UK to measure their risk of developing Type 2 diabetes.
In July, the Diabetes UK Roadshow handed out almost 19,000 leaflets and flyers, completed nearly 900 risk assessments and reached thousands more people through the Measure Up media and marketing.
The Measure Up Roadshow is touring the country until December in a bid to help people find out more about Type 2 diabetes and its risk factors. These include:
- Having a large waist
- Being over 40 years old or over 25 if you are of Black or South Asian origin
- Being of Black or South Asian origin and having a family history of the condition.
Philip Schofield asks you to Measure Up
The campaign is backed by TV presenter Phillip Schofield. He said: “I am delighted to be supporting Diabetes UK’s Measure Up campaign which asks people to measure their waists and find out if they are at risk of Type 2 diabetes.
“My mother and brother both have diabetes so I know first-hand how it can impact a person and their family’s life. As diabetes runs in my own family I ensure that my family and I try to lead a healthy lifestyle to reduce the risk of developing Type 2 diabetes.
“There are 2.25 million people diagnosed with Type 2 diabetes in the UK and another 500,000 who have the condition but don’t know. I would urge everyone to visit one of Diabetes UK’s Roadshows this year to discover if they could be one of those 500,000 and to find out more about diabetes.
“It is a serious condition and if untreated can lead to complications such as heart disease, stroke and blindness. The sooner people are diagnosed, the sooner they can start treating their diabetes and help reduce the risk of developing these devastating complications.”
Dates and locations
In August the Measure Up Roadshow is visiting Peterborough on 20 and 21, Edinburgh on 21 and 22, the Auld Lamma Fair in Ballycastle on 24 and 25, Oxford on 25 and 26, Ballymena on 27 and 28, and Lancaster on 27 and 28.
Follow the link for further dates and locations of upcoming Roadshows, or find Roadshows under related links.
The Measure Up Roadshow has been made possible through a donation of £1 million from the HBOS Foundation following the outstanding fundraising achievements of Bank of Scotland and Halifax employees and customers in 2008.
