Healthy Lifestyles Now Key To Preventing Diabetes

Health Minister Wyatt Creech said today he backed the need for all New Zealanders to become more aware about how to prevent and detect diabetes. This week is Diabetes Awareness Week.

"Diabetes is one of the diseases we need as a nation to try to prevent. "Small lifestyle changes now can go a long way towards stopping diabetes from developing. If we can help prevent more people getting diabetes then we will prevent more serious health problems and unnecessary health care.

"I am a strong advocate of prevention and putting more effort into education, promoting lifestyle changes and early intervention from GPs and other health profesionals to stop people ending up in hospital," Mr Creech said.

In 1997 there were almost 3,300 hospitalisations where diabetes was the primary diagnosis, and another 32,000 where diabetes was "another" diagnosis. The Maori hospitalisation rate is more than three times that of non Maori.

There are estimates that the total direct costs for diabetes related public hospital care in New Zealand is at least $95 million year - this is a conservative figure.

"Exercise and healthy diet are vital. The recently released "Push Play" campaign to encourage people to do thirty minutes of activity - whether it is gardening or a walk is a key to preventing diabetes.

"I applaud Diabetes New Zealand for making this Wednesday "Take a Walk" day - to reinforce the exercise message.

"Currently people getting blood tests can get a free diabetes test. The Health Funding Authority is also looking at whether there are ways of improving the screening and prevention of diabetes."