National Diabetes Week 8 – 14 July 2012

Diabetes Tasmania is calling the State to action, urging the community to support a national
campaign for funding into type 2 diabetes prevention during National Diabetes Week (running
from 8-14 July).

Tasmania is facing a diabetes pandemic, with predictions indicating a staggering 67,500 people
will develop type 2 diabetes by 2025. Currently there are 22,772 Tasmanians living with type 2
diabetes and six people develop it in the State every day.

The national campaign, Let’s Prevent Diabetes, is calling on governments to fund a high-risk
prevention program for type 2 diabetes.

Diabetes Tasmania CEO Caroline Wells said type 2 was the most common form of diabetes,
representing around 85 per cent of all cases in Australia and Tasmania, yet from a prevention
perspective very little was being done.

“For decades the wearing of seatbelts and helmets to reduce deaths on our roads and lifejackets
to prevent us from drowning has been mandated by governments,” Ms Wells said.

“With type 2 diabetes set to become the leading burden of disease in Australia by 2017, it’s time
for our federal and state governments to make diabetes prevention a priority.

“Diabetes is a progressive, unrelenting and challenging disease with devastating complications
as well as immense human, societal and financial burdens.

“Many people simply don’t realise how serious it is, and that people with diabetes also
experience increased rates of heart attacks, stroke, end stage renal disease, limb amputations
and other life shattering complications.

“In addition to these burdens the financial impacts are substantial, with the total annual cost for
type 2 diabetes treatment nationally estimated at $6 billion.

“Without intervention this figure could quadruple by 2051, crippling our health systems.”

Ms Wells said diabetes was often misunderstood, under reported and underestimated in terms
of its impact on the individual and their families.

“For every five Australians diagnosed, there may be four with an undiagnosed case of the
disease and in fact many people don’t realise they have it until they develop complications,
which are often very serious and advanced,” she said.

“In addition to those diagnosed with type 2, an estimated 45,000 Tasmanians have ‘prediabetes’,
meaning they have abnormally high blood glucose levels, but not quite high enough
to be diagnosed.

“Despite this, the good news is that we know type 2 diabetes is largely preventable with lifestyle
changes reducing the risk of developing the disease by up to 60 per cent in people at high risk.

“This is why, to launch National Diabetes Week we are strongly urging all Tasmanians to jump
online and support the call for federal funding into type 2 diabetes prevention.

“It’s easy to add your voice and assess your risk at: www.letspreventdiabetes.org.au by simply
clicking ‘yes’ to support the Let’s Prevent Diabetes campaign and taking the AUSDRISK test.”

The AUSDRISK test assesses a person’s risk of developing type 2 diabetes within the next five
years, based on a score for risk factors such as age, gender, country of birth, family history of
diabetes and high blood pressure, smoking habits, fruit and vegetable intake, physical activity
levels and waist circumference.

National Diabetes Week 2012 was launched in the south of the State by Diabetes Tasmania
today, with a risk test and information stand in Elizabeth Street Mall, Hobart.

Diabetes Tasmania will launch its report Type 2 Diabetes Prevention – A Three Tiered Health
Approach later this week, with calls to action for the Government, communities and households
to help prevent type 2 diabetes.

Download Q and A:
National_Diabetes_Week_2012_-_Lets_prevent_diabetes_QA_TAS.pdf
Diabetes Tasmania