Diabetes Awareness Week Spotlight: The Healthier You Programme
A key part of Diabetes Awareness Week focuses on what people can do to reduce their risk of developing Type 2 Diabetes. Throughout south east London, there are several programmes that support people to do so, including the Healthier You: Diabetes Prevention Programme in Southwark.
About the programme
The Healthier You: Diabetes Prevention Programme provides tailored, personalised support to help you reduce your risk of type 2 diabetes. The free, nine-month long programme includes education on healthy eating and lifestyle, help to lose weight and physical exercise programmes. Together, these have been proven to reduce the risk of developing this condition.
This service is funded by NHS England and provided by Thrive Tribe.
How to join the programme
Your GP can refer you to the National Diabetes Prevention Program (NDPP) if you have undergone a blood test within the past 12 months and your HbA1c falls between 42 and 47.9
How to refer yourself
You can also self-register for the programme here: www.healthieryou.org.uk. Patients must have the following information to self-register:
- NHS Number
- Blood Test Result (either a HbA1c or FPG reading)
- Date of Blood Test (must be within the past 12 months)
- Be between the ages of 18-80 (Those over 80 can join the programme if you are fit and able to engage with the programme, but must obtain referral from their GP)
Hear from someone currently on the programme
Craig Yamey is 52 years old and living with pre-diabetes. He joined the Healthier You programme to learn about healthy eating in a supportive environment and liked the sense of accountability being in a group setting brought to his journey.
“I knew I had bad eating habits and did not have a good diet before joining the course but I had always found it hard to break those habits.”
Since joining the programme, Craig has learned about several healthy habits that help to prevent his chances of developing full-blown type 2 diabetes. These include:
- The importance of including 30 plant based foods in your diet each week.
- Healthy portion sizes
- Replacing white rice and pasta with brown alternatives.
- Regular exercise which can be as easy as going for a walk or even doing housework.
“The advice I would give to anyone who has been diagnosed with prediabetes is you don’t have to try and second guess the changes you need to make to your diet and exercise routine. There is help out there, so you don’t have to tackle it on your own.
“The prediabetes prevention course is a huge source of support and has given me a wealth of information and very simple steps to bring your blood glucose levels down.
“You don’t have to change everything all at once overnight but can make small significant changes in simple steps, for example replacing white rice with brown rice and reducing the portion sizes. Adding vegetables to my meals and eating less processed food has helped a lot too.”
Find out more about the programme here: Home | Healthier You