Patients who completed the flagship diabetes prevention scheme lost an average of 3.3kgs, the latest figures from NHS England have revealed.
More than half of NHS DPP participants who attended a group session lost around 3.3kgs over nine months –an average of 1kg more than originally expected.
NHS England national clinical director for diabetes and obesity Professor Jonathan Valabhji said that‘while it is early days, this data from several thousand people is very promising’.
Patients who completed the flagship diabetes prevention scheme lost an average of 3.3kgs, the latest figures from NHS England have revealed.
More than half of NHS DPP participants who attended a group session lost around 3.3kgs over nine months –an average of 1kg more than originally expected.
NHS England national clinical director for diabetes and obesity Professor Jonathan Valabhji said that‘while it is early days, this data from several thousand people is very promising’.
‘Exceeding targets’
He continued: ‘Not only is our prevention programme exceeding the initial targets set for referrals and equity of access, what we are now starting to see is the first set of encouraging weight loss results too.
‘Type 2 diabetes is heavily linked to obesity and if those on our programme continue to lose weight, as this snapshot suggests, then it is a step in the right direction and this programme can be an effective part of the solution.’
NHS DPP was designed to ‘stop or delay onset through a range of personalised lifestyle interventions’, said NHS England.
It includes:
– Education on lifestyle choices
– Advice on how to reduce weight through healthier eating
– Bespoke physical activity programmes
Society burden
Diabetes is the ‘fastest growing health crisis or our times’, said Diabetes UK.
According to NHS England, there are currently 3.4 million people with Type 2 diabetes and around 200,000 new diagnoses each year in England
Treating the condition and its complications costs the NHS more than £6bn every year.
Obesity crisis
Obesity is the main risk factor for Type 2 diabetes, with more than 90% of people newly diagnosed with the condition being above their ideal weight.
Speaking at Diabetes UK’s annual conference today (14 March) NHS England chief executive Simon Stevens said that ‘the NHS is already leading the way in the battle against the obesity crisis by slashing the sale of sugary drinksand super-sized snacks in hospitals’.
He added: ‘Obesity is the new smoking and the scale of our response needs to match the scale of the crisis.’
Mr Stevens revealed that three years after its announcement, the NHS DPP is now ‘on the verge of achieving complete national coverage’.
‘In the last 21 months of roll-out, more than 154,000 people have been referred, with around 66,000 people taking up places’, he said.
