More than a million people have used Diabetes UK’s online tool to check their risk of developing the condition, but research has found that the majority using the service were women
Men are being urged to check whether they are at risk of type 2 diabetes by completing a simple online test.
More than a million people have used Diabetes UK’s online tool, which provides data on an individual’s risk of developing the condition.
It comes after the charity found the majority of the people using the ‘Know Your Risk’ questionnaire are women.
The assessment, developed by Diabetes UK, the University of Leicester and the University Hospital of Leicester NHS Trust, uses key information on age, gender, weight, waist measurements and a person’s ethnicity to determine their likelihood of type 2 diabetes.
The test aims to inform people about their current risk so they can make vital changes to their lifestyle, including better eating, exercise and maintaining a healthy weight.
Helen Dickens, head of prevention at Diabetes UK, said: “We recently reached an incredible milestone of one million completed profiles of our Know Your Risk tool, which gives people the opportunity to go online and check their risk of type 2 diabetes.”
“When we analysed who had used the tool we were very interested to see the gender split of users, with a third more women than men going online to find out their risk, despite the fact that men are more at risk of developing the condition. We are therefore particularly calling on men to get online and find out their risk.
“A staggering 11.9 million people in the UK are now at increased risk of developing type 2 diabetes. However the good news is that when an individual knows they are at increased risk they hold the power to keep their risk as low possible by eating well, staying active and maintaining a healthy weight.
“This is why it is so important to get online now to find out your risk of type 2 diabetes and then take any necessary steps to reduce this risk, as not doing so can lead to devastating consequences. Too many people are living with this serious health condition and enduring complications such as amputation, stroke and blindness – a huge human price to pay that could have been avoided.”
The charity is now urging anyone who finds they are at moderate or high risk of type 2 diabetes to go and speak to their GP or nurse so that further testing can be arranged.
Want to know your risk of diabetes? Take the test here.
