We’re delighted to announce that we have once again teamed up with Because We Care to host another women’s health event in St Kitts.

Girl Talk: Diabetes will focus on women and diabetes and will take place on Saturday 14th September. We’ll be having a panel of excellent speakers covering topics such as:

• An Introduction to Diabetes
• Diabetes and its Complication
• Living with Diabetes

We’ll also have a small wellness market featuring health, wellbeing and wellness brands, fantastic raffle prizes, free health checks, food and more!

More details to follow, so please stay tuned!

This event is the second event in this series. Our first event focused on fibroids and we had a great day learning more about fibroids and its impact on women. You can read about our previous event here

If you would like to join us for this event, you can register below and make the payment on the day ($90EC).

The information provided in the form below will enable us to contact you about the event regarding updates and important information. We will only use it for this purpose.

We look forward to seeing you on 14th September and if you have any questions, please email us or call 765 8702.

The 14^th November is World Diabetes Day, a day that the world comes together to recognise the escalating threat that diabetes poses. This year’s theme is ‘The Family and Diabetes – Diabetes Concerns Every Family.’ This theme will cover a two-year (2018 ad 2019) period.

The aim of the 2018–19 campaign is to raise awareness of the impact diabetes has on the family and to promote the role family members can play in the management, care, prevention and education of diabetes.

The International Diabetes Federation and WHO’s key messages fall under four main areas (discover, prevent and manage) and they provide practical tips and advice for families.

Discover Diabetes

Statistics presented by the International Diabetes of Federation suggest that 50% of people with type 2 diabetes remain undiagnosed. Diagnosing diabetes early is very important in helping to prevent or delay the life-threatening complications that are associated with this condition. It is therefore very important that we are all aware of the symptoms, particularly if we have a family history of diabetes.

For World Diabetes Day, organisers are reminding family members of the key role they can play in identifying symptoms in their family members and thus helping detect diabetes early.

The symptoms of type 2 diabetes can be hard to identify because initially they don’t make you feel unwell and the symptoms may start to feel like normal every day behaviour. Take some time to reflect on whether these symptoms are normal for you, or your family member, or if they could be a sign of type 2 diabetes.

• Urinating more often
• Feeling thirsty
• Feeling very hungry
• Weight loss
• Blurred vision

Prevent Diabetes

There is a huge opportunity to prevent diabetes as the International Diabetes Federation has reported that 80% of diabetes cases can be prevented by the public adopting a healthy lifestyle.  This means that preventing diabetes starts at home. Simply by making a decision for your family to eat a healthy diet and exercise together means that your family members can reduce their risk of developing type 2 diabetes. The aim is for each of us is to create and live in an environment that supports a healthy lifestyle.

Manage Diabetes

Diabetes has a significant impact on families and family members often feel helpless when it comes to caring for those close to them who have diabetes. Research has show that 2 in 3 people wouldn’t know how to care for a family member with diabetes. This is likely to be due to a lack or awareness  and access to relevant educational material. Research has shown that less than 1 in 2 people with diabetes and 1 in 4 family members of people with diabetes have access to diabetes education programmes.

If you’re a family member of a diabetic, it’s important to know that managing diabetes requires daily treatment, regular monitoring, a healthy lifestyle and ongoing education. Family support is key in achieving this. If you feel ill-equipped to support your family members, speak to your doctor and explore whether there are any diabetes self-management courses being held in your area.

Diabetes in St Kitts

Diabetes is a significant health challenge in St Kitts accounting for one of the most common reasons for patients visiting the Joseph N France Hospital for treatment.

In St Kitts and Nevis, approximately 1300 people are living with diabetes, therefore impacting 1300 families, with 71% being women. It is thus important for residents of St Kitts and Nevis to be aware of how they can prevent, manage and discover diabetes so they can better support their family members with diabetes, as well as reduce the risk of unaffected members developing this condition.

For more information you can listen to Hon Wendy Phipps’ s (Minister of State for responsibility for Health in St Kitts), statement in observance of world Diabetes Day 2018 on Sound Cloud here:

Conclusion

Family members can make a significant difference in the prevention, early diagnosis and management of diabetes. It’s important to learn more about this condition and if you need help in St Kitts you can contact the St Kitts Diabetes Association.

Every year, on 14^th November, the world comes together to recognise World Diabetes Day.  Created by the International Diabetes Federation and the World Health Organisation in 1991 to address the escalating threat that diabetes poses, this is a day that aims to raise awareness by reaching a global audience. This year’s theme is: ‘Women and Diabetes – Our Right to a Healthy Future.’  ‘Why the focus on women?’  You may ask. The stats say it all.

Women and Diabetes

Currently there are over 199 million women living with diabetes throughout the world and research suggests that this could rise to a staggering 313 million women by 2040. Diabetes is the ninth leading cause of death in women with 2.1 million deaths per year being due to this condition.  Forty per cent of women with diabetes, around 60 million women, are of reproductive age. The complication here is that women with diabetes are more likely to have fertility problems and without access to pre-conception planning there is a higher risk of death and illness for both mother and child during pregnancy.

Additionally, one in seven pregnant women develop gestational diabetes. This is a type of diabetes that only develops during pregnancy. If it is not managed properly it can negatively affect both the expectant mother‘s and baby’s health.  In most cases, after pregnancy, gestational diabetes resolves on its own, but the mother is then at a higher risk of developing type two diabetes.

Finally, women with type 2 diabetes are ten times more likely to have coronary heart disease than  women who don’t have diabetes.

Due to these facts and figures there is a need to focus on women, raise awareness and ensure that health services are equipped to address the specific needs of women with regards to diabetes.

Black Women and Diabetes

Black women are at a significantly higher risk of developing diabetes than their white counterparts. In the US, diabetes affects 25% of black women in the 55 and over age group and it is the fourth leading cause of death in black American women of all ages.

Black women in the UK are also at increased risk of developing diabetes  and diabetes rates in the Caribbean and Africa are also high.

It is thought that the increased risk in black women is due to multiple factors including genetics and black women being more likely to have high blood pressure,  to be obese and be physically inactive.

What Can We Do?

Diabetes can be prevented by adopting a healthy lifestyle. We should endeavour to:

• Maintain a healthy weight
• Eat a healthy diet
• Get active: it doesn’t have to be structured exercise, just anything that increases your heart rate such as gardening, brisk walking, dancing, cycling, playing with the kids

Let’s all spread the word about the prevention of diabetes so that we can stop more women, especially black women, from developing this condition.

References

International Diabetes Federation

American Diabetes Association. Diabetes in African American Communities Advocacy Fact Sheet.

Type 2 diabetes is three times more common in the black community and as this type of diabetes can be prevented or delayed with a healthy lifestyle we can make a huge difference in our community by raising awareness.  With this in mind The Lake Foundation has teamed up with Diabetes UK with funding from Croydon Council to run a diabetes community champion project. The aim of this project is to empower the black community with the information that is needed to fully understand diabetes, its symptoms, risk factors and prevention so action can be taken.

We’ve recruited 17 community champions who have received in-depth training from Diabetes UK. The training has equipped them to get out in the community and effectively raise awareness and encourage behaviour change. They will get out and about targeting black churches, businesses and other organisations and we hope that this will make a significant difference in reducing the negative impact of diabetes on the black community in Croydon. We’ll be getting across the message that we can all reduce our risk of developing diabetes by eating a healthier diet, doing more exercise and maintaining a healthy weight.

On 14th June, our champions hosted their first awareness event at Croydon College where they raised awareness amongst staff and students giving out leaflets and encouraging people to take Diabetes UK’s useful ‘know your risk’ test. In addition to this they also helped out on 10^th June at Diabetes UK and the Thinking Forward Initiative’s diabetes workshop in Crystal Palace.

Through both of these event our champions were able to reach our community, raise awareness and get people to think about lifestyle changes they can make to improve their health and reduce their risk of developing diabetes.

We’re so happy with the great work our champions have done so far and we’ll be back out in Croydon soon raising awareness. We’ll see you all on our travels!

This week is Diabetes Awareness Week and our guest blogger, Stacey Mensah discusses a diabetes diet as well as our current Diabetes Community Champion project. 

Type 1 Diabetes

Type 1 diabetes is the most common form of the disease that is found in children. Insulin dependent diabetes is a term that is also used to describe type 1 diabetes. This causes the loss of insulin production which means that you would be required to regularly administer levels by injection or by insulin pump. When you have this type of diabetes you need to consider how different foods are going to impact your blood glucose levels and how to balance the quantity of carbohydrate with the right amount of insulin.

Here at the Lake Foundation we are constantly promoting healthy eating but when you have type 1 diabetes this should really be stressed as it can play a part in helping to prevent the development of complications. This goes without saying but limiting the amount of processed foods you eat should be at the top of your agenda. Some may wish to adopt a reduced carbohydrate diet as they can be helpful for people who are struggling to keep control on a carb centred diet.

Type 2 Diabetes

The confusion between these two types of diabetes is quite common as they are both characterised by higher than normal blood sugar levels. The key difference is that type 2 diabetes can be prevented or delayed with a healthy lifestyle. There are also no episodes of hypoglycaemia, unless the person is taking insulin or certain diabetes medicines. It is also important to note that you may not have symptoms before the diagnosis. Usually types 2 diabetes is discovered in adulthood.

Having type 2 diabetes does not mean that you can’t have fun with your foods. Instead, it means that you just have to pay extra attention to choosing the right combination of foods that will keep your blood sugar level in your target range. On the whole it’s important to eat healthy regardless of your health situation.

 Our Diabetes Community Champion Project

Type 2 diabetes is three times more common in the black community and as I mentioned above this type of diabetes can be prevented or delayed with a healthy lifestyle. With this in mind The Lake Foundation has teamed up with Diabetes UK with funding from Croydon Council to run a diabetes community champion project. The aim of this project is to empower the black community with the information that is needed to fully understand diabetes, its symptoms, risk factors and prevention so action can be taken.

We’re delighted to have recruited 17 community champions who have received in-depth training from Diabetes UK. The training has equipped them to get out in the community and effectively raise awareness and encourage behaviour change. They will get out and about targeting black churches, businesses and other organisations to raise awareness and we hope that this will make a significant difference in reducing the negative impact of diabetes on the black community in Croydon. We’ll be getting across the message that we can all reduce our risk of developing diabetes by eating a healthier diet, doing more exercise and maintaining a healthy weight.

This week, on 14^th June, our champions will be at Croydon College raising awareness amongst staff and students giving out leaflets and encouraging people to take Diabetes UK’s useful ‘know your risk’ test. If you’re in the area over lunch time why not drop by, pick up some information and speak to our champions.

Yesterday, we had the pleasure of attending an event organised by Diabetes UK and Croydon Clinical Commissioning Group. This event was entitled ‘Type 2 Diabetes and the Croydon Community’ and it brought together patients, healthcare professionals, local charities and commissioners to discuss how   we can tackle diabetes in Croydon.

The event started with a welcome and introduction by Dr Rajan Namasivayam from the Diabetes UK Croydon Local Group and then we heard from the three main speakers: Rachael Glover, Manager at Diabetes UK; Charlotte Harris, Senior Researcher, Revealing Reality;  and Dipti Gandhi, Diabetes Clinical Lead at Croydon CCG.

Setting the Scene

Rachael Glover from Diabetes UK started the session with a good introduction to type 2 diabetes and its prevention and management.  From Rachael’s presentation, we learnt of the extent to which diabetes affects those living in the UK; currently, 4.5 million people in the UK have diabetes.  Rachael explained that diabetes occurs when our body isn’t able to control our blood glucose levels and glucose builds up in the blood leading to a number of health problems.  Diabetes is a result of problems with our insulin which is a hormone that helps our body use glucose preventing glucose levels from rising to dangerously high levels.

Rachael stated that there are two main types of diabetes:

Type 1 diabetes: this is where the body doesn’t make any insulin at all

Type 2 diabetes:  where the body doesn’t make enough insulin or the insulin isn’t working properly.

From Rachael’s presentation, it was noted that 90% of people with diabetes have type 2 diabetes hence why there is a need to focus on this type of diabetes, particularly because 3/5 cases of type 2 diabetes are preventable. This means there is a huge opportunity to successfully tackle diabetes.

Rachael explained that type 2 diabetes can be prevented by eating a healthier diet, being more active and maintaining a healthy weight.

Rachael stated that the national programme Healthier You: NHS Diabetes Prevention Programme was launched in 2016 to support people at high risk of developing diabetes to change their lifestyle to reduce their risk.

Rachael also discussed the best ways of ensuring that patients with diabetes are able to successfully manage their condition.  She stated that one of the most effective ways to do this is through patient education and there are several approaches:  one-to-one information and advice, informal flexible ongoing information, ongoing support and structured education.  These approaches are useful to patients with 90% of patients saying that they were better able to manage their condition following education, but sadly only 5% of diabetes patients attend an education event. With this in mind, Diabetes UK and Croydon CCG have pledged to reach 50% of diabetics through education.

Interesting Research

Next, we heard from Charlotte Harris, Senior Researcher from Revealing Reality. Charlotte summarised the findings from a very interesting research study that aimed to understand attitudes to diabetes amongst the South Asian communities of Thornton Heath in Croydon.

In their study they explored the needs, barriers and opportunities for innovation and they did this by finding out about diabetes as it is really lived in the community – they visited patients in their own environment.  From their work they identified  four key areas for innovation:

• Food
• Lifestyle and fitness
• Medical and healthcare
• Knowledge and advice

They also found that:

1. When looking at the South Asian community, there was no one South Asian community or culture. There were many cultural differences (Indian, Bangladeshi etc..) and these differences are usually overlooked when health education and awareness projects are developed.

2. Despite diabetes being talked about frequently, understanding of diabetes is low and for people where there was an understanding knowledge wasn’t applied practically.

3. There was a sense in the South Asian community that diabetes is inevitable and there isn’t anything that can be done to prevent it, so there was a significant feeling of powerlessness.

4. Many myths about diabetes exist such as climate and stress cause diabetes and that diabetes can be cured, this myth about there being a cure was a major problem as people would stop taking their medication once they started feeling better believing they were cured.

5. There was a lack of knowledge of the serious complications that are associated with diabetes.

Tackling Diabetes in Croydon

Finally, we heard from Dipti Gandhi the diabetes clinical lead at Croydon CCG. Dipti explained that, in Croydon, diabetes is a  huge problem with about 10% of residents living with diabetes.  She then went on to explain some of the services in Croydon. These included:

• A new prevention programme where pre-diabetics are identified and enrolled in a 15-month programme to reduce their risk of developing diabetes. This programme has started in Thornton Heath and will expand to other areas in Croydon.
• Online support via Croydon Council’s Just Be Programme
• Voluntary sector projects to raise awareness
• Support with medications
• Group consultations with GPs and exploring ways of patients accessing diabetes specialists
• Self education through DESMOND Type 2 and DAFNE Type 1

Conclusion

This was a really informative and interesting event and one that was of great importance to the black community who are three times more likely to develop diabetes than their white counterparts. The Lake Foundation is currently making its own contribution to tackling diabetes in Croydon by teaming up with Diabetes UK and Croydon CCG with funding from Croydon Council to run a diabetes community champion project.  To find out more about this project or to volunteer to take part please email us

This week, a new analysis by Public Health England has revealed a troubling conclusion: 40 to 60 year olds in the UK are facing a health crisis. This health crisis has been attributed to modern lifestyles, particularly “the car, the desk job and the computer”, which means that people are not as physically active as 20 years ago.

“People are busy with work, with families, with the daily grind and sometimes their own health is the least of their priorities.” – Professor Kevin Fenton, Director of Health and Wellbeing, Public Health England

Public Health England’s analysis explored how the behaviour and health of people aged 40 to 60 has changed over the past 20 years. They found that 83% of 40-60 year olds either drink too much,  are inactive or are overweight or obese.

When we looked at their data on obesity, their report states that 77% of men and 63% of women within the 40 to 60 age group are overweight or obese compared to 67% of men and 55% of women 20 years ago. Public Health England also noted that many middle aged people couldn’t identify what a healthy body looks like and they suggest that it is possible that obesity is now becoming the new normal. This is worrying as many people may not realise they are at an unhealthy weight.

Another important area the analysis looked at was diabetes. They found that the diabetes rate in 40 to 60 year olds has doubled – 3% of middle aged people had diabetes 20 years ago and today that has increased to 7%.  Apart from diabetes they found that the rate of heart conditions in men has increased, rising from 8.5% to 11.4% and mental health conditions had trebled (2% to 6%.) Although, with regards to mental health, it was felt that the increase could be due to a better understanding and recognition of mental health conditions.

Solutions

In order to address this health crisis Public Health England’s One You campaign will be reaching out to 40 to 60 year olds to help people assess their lifestyle and then provides tools on how to adopt a healthy lifestyle. These tools include apps like Couch to 5K, Alcohol Checker and Easy Meals.

Other similar solutions include Croydon Council’s online health programme, JustBe, which aims to get local people to adopt a healthier lifestyle by offering a number of recommendations and pointing Croydon residents to local services. To get their messages across they use a variety of tools such as apps, podcasts, expert advice, videos, diet plans and exercise routes.

At the Lake Foundation, we’re aiming to get people active through our free cycling club which is open to everyone. A limited number of bikes and helmets are available. For more information email us

Conclusions

Public Health England’s analysis concluded that compared to 20 years ago:

“Men aged 40 to 60 are:

• more likely to be obese
• less likely to smoke and less likely to drink alcohol (although most do)
• more likely to suffer from a heart condition
• more likely to be diabetic
• more likely to report suffering from a mental health disorder

Women aged 40 to 60 are:

• more likely to be obese;
• less likely to smoke and less likely to drink alcohol
• more likely to be diabetic
• more likely to report suffering from a mental health disorder”

Although the health of middle aged people seems to be declining, there is hope. We can turn things around if everyone makes simple changes to their lifestyle.