Diabetes survey reveals worrying results

More than one in two adults in the UK are not concerned about the risk of developing diabetes, according to alarming new research.
A survey conducted on behalf of Asda Pharmacy found that 55 per cent of the adult population do not think diabetes is a health consideratio, despite the growing number of cases of both type 1 and type 2 diabetes.
The greatest lack of concern was seen in Northern Ireland where 58 per cent of people surveyed said they were not worried about developing the disease, followed by Scotland where nearly half of respondents showed no concern.
In England, 41 per cent of respondents in both the South and North said diabetes was not a health threat, compared to one in three (33 per cent) people in the Midlands, while 31 per cent of people in Wales felt the same.
Perhaps more worrying is that the research discovered that 10 per cent of the 2,000 people polled don’t know what diabetes mellitus is, indicating that the apparent lack of concern could be down to inadequate knowledge.
Faisal Tuddy, deputy superintendent pharmacist at Asda, said: “It is worrying to discover people still aren’t clued up to the causes of diabetes, especially when statistics from Diabetes UK and the NHS prove we’re a nation at risk.
“We offer free blood glucose screening and advice to our shoppers, which can help indicate the likelihood someone has, or is at risk of developing diabetes in the future.”