Developing quality structured education in diabetes
Providing award-winning training
Walking Away from Diabetes
The number of people with Type 2 diabetes is increasing nationally. The presence of certain risk factors such as age, body weight or a family history of diabetes means some people have a higher risk than others of developing Type 2 diabetes. The good news is that everyone at risk of Type 2 diabetes can do things to keep healthy and slow down or even stop the development of this serious disease. Even better, recent studies have shown that lifestyle changes are even more effective than medicines in helping to prevent people developing Type 2 diabetes.
What is the Study About
The aim of the Walking Away study is to find out whether we can help people with a high risk of developing Type 2 diabetes to make informed lifestyle decisions and reduce their risk of developing the disease in the future. There is clear evidence that increased physical activity is perhaps the most important lifestyle behaviour in terms of preventing Type 2 diabetes. However, few studies have developed successful approaches for promoting physical activity in a primary care or community setting.
Aim
Can an interactive group education session promote increased physical activity and reduce the risk of type 2 diabetes?
This is the question our study is looking to answer. With the support of GPs across Leicestershire we are screening patient registers to look at patients’ risk of developing Type 2 diabetes.
What's Involved
Using a specialist ‘risk-score’ calculation we can identify individuals at the highest risk of developing the disease in the future. On behalf of the research team the practices involved in our study send an invitation to the at-risk patients to attend a Walking Away screening clinic for Type 2 diabetes.
The GP practices taking part in our study are randomised into one of two groups. We are comparing the two groups to see how best we can help people self-manage physical activity levels in their daily lives.
Patients from practices who are in the ‘intervention’ group of the study will be invited to attend an education programme aimed at providing at-risk individuals with key information surrounding Type 2 diabetes risk factors and strategies to help with becoming more active. Patients from practices who are in the ‘control’ group of the study will be sent an information leaflet about the risk factors for Type 2 diabetes and how physical activity can help reduce this risk. All patients in the study will be followed-up once a year for three years to check their diabetes risk and general well-being.
For further information
T: 0116 252 5460 (Walking Away administrator).
E: WalkingAway.Diabetes@uhl-tr.nhs.uk (project lead)
