Inquiry to tackle diabetes

4:00pm Saturday 11th October 2008

The impact of diabetes on the lives of people in Bradford and what can be done to reduce incidence of the condition will be the subject of an investigation.

A scrutiny into preventing diabetes will be carried out by Bradford Council’s Health Improvement Com-mittee, which has previously reviewed obesity and, most recently, alcohol as major health issues.

Diabetes has been chosen as the next scrutiny as it is a serious health problem for the district, with 23,000 people suffering from the disease. There are also further numbers, particularly in the Asian population, who have the condition but are undiagnosed.

Prevalence of diabetes increases steeply with age and is higher in black and minority ethnic groups and in areas of high deprivation where poor lifestyle is a major risk factor.

Greater numbers of people, including young people, are developing type 2 diabetes because of being overweight or obese. The district also has the highest percentage of deaths in the Yorkshire and Humber region from diabetes – 13.22 per cent of all deaths of people aged 20 to 79.

A report before the Health Improvement Committee says: “It is reported that the NHS spent approximately £5billion or five per cent of its budget treating diabetes in 2003 and this may rise to ten per cent by 2011. It is therefore a timely subject for scrutiny by the Health Improvement Committee, which could build on its previous work on obesity, without duplicating its areas of investigation.”

The objectives of the scrutiny include raising awareness of people’s understanding of diabetes and encouraging at-risk groups to be tested and to make recommendations for action which will help prevent people developing diabetes.

The committee will take evidence from interested parties such as diabetes and public health specialists and members of the Bradford branch of Diabetes UK.

It is hoped to begin work on the scrutiny in December with a view to producing a report in May.

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