Know your risk and prevent Type 2 diabetes

People living in Cheshire and Merseyside are being encouraged to ‘know their risk’ when it comes to Type 2 diabetes.

As part of Diabetes Prevention Week, which runs from 10-16 May, the Cheshire and Merseyside Health and Care Partnership are urging people to think about what factors can increase the risk of developing the potentially life-threatening condition – and what can be done to prevent it.

There are some groups at higher risk of Type 2 diabetes: men, people of South Asian or Black ethnicity, people who are overweight and people with a family history of Type 2 diabetes.

Jonathan Griffiths, a GP in Winsford, Cheshire, said: “We have to remember that Type 2 diabetes is largely preventable and people who are at risk can significantly reduce their risk simply by making some small lifestyle changes.”

“There are thousands of people across Cheshire and Merseyside who are believed to be at high risk of developing the potentially life-threatening condition and I would encourage people to ‘know their risk’. We want to do all we can to support as many people as possible to prevent Type 2 diabetes from taking hold.”

You can find out your risk of Type 2 diabetes in just a couple of minutes by using the Diabetes UK Know Your Risk Score at www.riskscore.diabetes.org.uk or by searching ‘Know Your Risk’.

You can prevent Type 2 diabetes by eating a healthy, balanced diet, maintaining a healthy weight and keeping physically active.

If you think you or a family member may be at risk, ask at your GP practice about your free local Healthier You programme.

The NHS Healthier You Diabetes Prevention Programme puts people in control of their own health by supporting them to lose weight through regular exercise and a healthy, balanced diet. 

In Cheshire and Merseyside, there have been around 300 participants on the programme since January 2021. The programme has been offered online and has seen participants lose a combined total of 445kg (since December 2020). You can read a case study here to learn more about how the programme has been instrumental in supporting local resident Michael Blair from Macclesfield, in his mission to avoid Type 2 diabetes

Cheshire and Merseyside Health and Care Partnership is a collection of NHS, local authority, voluntary, community, faith and social enterprise organisations from across the nine local authority areas that make up Cheshire and Merseyside.

We come together to work collaboratively, developing strategies that improve public Health reduce health inequalities and to ensure that the health and care system across Cheshire and Merseyside is sustainable.

You can find out more by visiting our website, following us on Twitter or signing up to receive our stakeholder newsletter Connect.