Diabetes UK suggests risk score for obesity week

Diabetes UK is calling for people to establish their risk of developing type 2 diabetes during National Obesity Awareness Week.

Known as JanUary, the week runs from January 9 to 15 and the charity is encouraging people to complete an online risk assessment called Know Your Risk, which has so far seen more than 1.2 million users.

Almost two thirds of adults in the UK are overweight or obese placing them at greater risk of developing type 2 diabetes.

Diets full of sugar and fat, and not getting much exercise often leads to weight gain which can result in the condition, warns Diabetes UK. Currently, 11.9m people in the UK are at an increased risk.

As many as three out of five cases of type 2 diabetes can be delayed or even prevented through adopting a healthy lifestyle, the charity said.

Chris Askew, chief executive of Diabetes UK,  said: “Finding out if you’re at risk of developing Type 2 diabetes is important so you can do something about it now. It takes less than three minutes to use Diabetes UK’s widely used online questionnaire, Know Your Risk. You just need to take three measurements (your height, weight and waist), then answer a few simple questions. If the results show you are at risk, we’ll suggest you visit your GP surgery for further tests and advice.”

To access the online risk score developed by the Leicester Diabetes Centre and available at Diabetes UK’s website, click here.