Outraged - Change4life - Complaints

[suzi]

Ditto, just signed the on line petition in my name, is it possible sign for each household member? After all, the more names the better
Suzi x

 

[Alba37]

Thanks Catherine.

Yes, I quite agree re: Type 2 also. I've been discussing this campaign a lot recently, and I was just saying yesterday, my son's grandad is 1 of 11 brothers and sisters. All Type 2, and only a couple of the sisters could be considered over weight. They are all outdoor, healthy eating, Mediterranean’s.

I am type 2 also, but my weight could have played a part in my diabetes (ekk!)

When I saw your first response I thought "the propaganda is working!"

My son and I attend the same diabetes clinic, which is normally full of older Type 2's, it makes me feel young and my son feel awful! I can honestly say less than half could be classed as slightly overweight and very few obese. I think as a parent I think of my son before myself, and hadn't quite got round to the anger over the campaign's message regading T2's fully yet. My son has said so many times people have said to him you must have been very fat before to have diabetes, this campaign is adding fuel to the little (inaccuarate) knowledge the public have about diabetes.

When a skinny active friend was diagnosed with Type 2 his doctor by way of apology for failing to diagnose him sooner took him into the waiting room "to show him the elephants" as he put it

HOWEVER the messages are still not getting through that insulin resistance is the *cause* of both Type 2 diabetes and associated conditions, and overweight (someone needs to give the copywriters some simple educations in statistics, 80% of overweight people are NOT diabetic, 20% of Type 2s are NOT overweight, there may be some correlation but NOT causality) and that it's the excess CARBS in the diet that cause these conditions

It's going to get a lot worse before it gets better

Very interesting statistics, thanks.

I've updated, the OP with a link to an online No. 10 e-petition.

This campaign is damaging for diabetics as a whole, but the OUTRAGE at the Change4life campaign has got going by parents of Type 1 children, and that's the reason T1 has been mentioned so much, it's not meant to offend T2's in anyway. (like me!)

 

[Alba37]

Ditto, just signed the on line petition in my name, is it possible sign for each household member? After all, the more names the better
Suzi x

Hi Suzi,

Hope you and the family are well. Gosh this campaign has got my blood boiling.... it''s now being reported it'll be shown in schools!!

Yes, I think you can use every name in the household, I've done me, and Marc did it too.

 

[suzi]

Hi Alba, know the feeling, i've bought on a headache fuming at the goverments campaign, why are they so ignorant. just added 3 more names and waiting for comfirmation, hope your both well
Suzi x

 

[suzi]

well added the 3 names at 11.50, didn't get comfirmation, checked list of names and the families not on the petition. Looks like there site works on a different time scale to the rest of the world, why am i not surprised :evil:
Suzi x

 

[Alba37]

Hi Suzi

Just found out you need a different email address per person. Could that be the problem?

There's nearly 200 signatures just in the last 24 hrs, so not bad going... but it'll get tougher to get more as time goes on.

Hope you're ok?

Aileen x

 

[Jenny]

Alba and all living outside England should note that the website relates to NHS England only. Although the change4life website is crass at best the NHS Scotland is not any better in offering healthy advice. I have not visited the Welsh or NI sites.

 

[brianb]

The change4life site does not mention that lifestyle choices cause type 1it actuall says type 2 so i dont agree with the wording of the petition.

However i do agree that a large number of "obese" people are NOT type2 diabetic and a lot of type 2 diabetics are not fat.

I beleive that you must have some sort of genetic problem first and that maybe the lifestyle choices i.e TOOO many carbs could trigger the condition.

Brian

 

[Alba37]

Hi Brian,

That's just been changed today re: complaints. (although, I've not seen it yet) The TV & Billboards ads still say "diabetes" so the petition is ongoing for that too.

I also agree that a large number of "obese" people are NOT type 2 diabetic and a lot of type 2 diabetics are not fat.

I'm not sure I'll be completly happy with the wording in the site, I'm going to look.

 

[Alba37]

Alba and all living outside England should note that the website relates to NHS England only. Although the change4life website is crass at best the NHS Scotland is not any better in offering healthy advice. I have not visited the Welsh or NI sites.

Yes, I know Jenny, lol, and I'm in Scotland. But it's also been shown on TV, so is affecting us too. Last Sat, the first day it was on (I think) I saw it more than 6 times, in a few hours.

 

[Trinkwasser]

I beleive that you must have some sort of genetic problem first and that maybe the lifestyle choices i.e TOOO many carbs could trigger the condition.

Brian

This certainly seems to be the case. Look at the genetics of Type 2, twin studies etc. show much stronger genetic influence than for Type 1. The high carb low fat diet triggers the diabetic genes in those susceptible and the obesity genes in many of the rest.

Sorry but while I agree with the idea of not stigmatising Type 1s I am equally not in favour of stigmatising Type 2s so will NOT be signing the petition

 

[Alba37]

I beleive that you must have some sort of genetic problem first and that maybe the lifestyle choices i.e TOOO many carbs could trigger the condition.

Brian

This certainly seems to be the case. Look at the genetics of Type 2, twin studies etc. show much stronger genetic influence than for Type 1. The high carb low fat diet triggers the diabetic genes in those susceptible and the obesity genes in many of the rest.

Sorry but while I agree with the idea of not stigmatising Type 1s I am equally not in favour of stigmatising Type 2s so will NOT be signing the petition

It's not meant to stigmatise anyone, at the end of the day we are all diabetics. The message is no Type 1 got diabetes through an unhealthy lifestyle, and as such the campaign is misleading. It's caused children to be bullied, and ask their parents if they are going to die. I'm not happy with the campaign full stop. I didn't write the e-petition, I believe it was the father of a Type 1 child.

But of course it's fine if you choose not to sign, but in my opinion the more who sign the better, and that's why I posted about it. I'd be more than happy to sign any petition which is beneficial for diabetics.

 

[wkdweewitch]

By having this petition signed, it will do more than just helping Type1 children. It opens the general public's awareness that there is a Type1 & Type2, starts the debate among the powers that be- why was this campaign launched without basic facts being checked by medical experts?! saying Diabetes/Heart disease/Cancer are caused by an unhealthy lifestyle is an awful statement. It's not even true- an unhealthy lifestyle can be a factor leading to these 'general' conditions, not the cause. Alot of money has been wasted on a campaign that I think we all agree with, so I'm amazed they didn't bother to be thorough with the facts. It's distressing for all those who have the above mentioned conditions, & by signing the petition it's a great start to educating everyone about types 1 & 2. Even if you personally aren't affected by the wrongful wording on the campaign, there are children who are now facing even more predjudice than before, simply because the TV (& remember kids think the TV never lies) says they got "Diabetes" from eating junk food & doing no exercise. Nobody who isn't affected by the condition knows there are two types, let alone the differences. This is the perfect time to become pro active & educate people!

 

[catherinecherub]

Hi wkdweewitch,
Well said. The very reasons you state are why I have signed the petition. It wasn't long ago that kids with type 1 were marching on Downing street for a better understanding within the schools about their condition and now they are having to fend off the flack associated with this campaign. I think the basis of the campaign is good but not really thought through.

Regards, Catherine.

 

[jenrose]

I have signed the petition for type 1 children and think this campaign will lead to a lot of bullying, and also to adults with type 1 diabetes but I am unhappy about the wording of the petition as it implies that people with type 2 (like myself) have done something 'wrong' to have type 2 diabetes. It is bad enough that the media always mentions lifestyle is the cause of type 2 diabetes when it is plainly not the only cause, the same as with heart disease and cancer. Some people are lucky enough not to get heart disease, cancer, emphysema or lung cancer even though they have smoked a lot or/and drunk a lot of alcohol so a lot of people are overweight (and have been nearly all their long lives) and yet will not come down with diabetes. Obviously having a healthy lifestyle will go a long way to help prevent chronic disease but it doesn't guarantee that you will not get a chronic disease as asbestos, air pollution and other environmental hazards and genetics play their part too. Diabetes may actually cause a person to be obese when it is uncontrolled, I know it is the reason I have lost a lot of weight so now I am a thin type 2.

 

[catherinecherub]

Just had a reply to my email to Chief Medical Officer's office stating that due to the high volume of emails received it will take up to 20 days to reply!!

 

[wkdweewitch]

Hi Catherinecherub, that's the standard response time I'm afraid :0(

 

[Stuboy]

I've signed it...

has anyone thought about making a facebook page/group for this petition

 

[sugarless sue]

In the OP there is a link to DUK Face book page to protest about this campaign.

 

[wkdweewitch]

Hi Jenrose I just posted you a reply but it's disappeared, so I hope this short one will do! Basically I was thanking you for signing, agreeing with you about the wording- but unfortunately it cannot be changed now, & saying how now is the time to educate those around us who wish to know all about Diabetes- the two types, how day to day life is, & how shocking it is that the perception of all Diabetics seem s to be that they brought it on themselves, when as we all know that is untrue (mostly!)
Personally, i'm hoping that this will get through to GP's who are notoriously bad at diagnosing children's Type1- we were told repeatedly that it was a tummy bug, he was too young to have Diabetes & as there was no family history they wouldn't consider testing him! I was branded the neurotic mother from hell, & it was only because I nearly punched the out of hours GP (he wouldn't come to us so I camped outside his office!!) he relented & got my 2yr old admitted just to get rid of me!
Thanks to all who have signed the petition, please keep talking about Diabetes, there is also a Facebook group with many, many personal stories & lots of "discussions" entitled "I am OUTRAGED" at the Change4life advert" which really is worth taking the time to look at x