DIABETES AWARENESS IS IMPORTANT FOR HEALTHY LIVING

VICTORIA – November is Diabetes Awareness Month, and the Province is working to ensure British Columbians are aware of how they may reduce their risk of this often preventable disease.

“Increased awareness is one of the best ways to address the rising rate of diabetes in our province and around the world,” said Healthy Living and Sport Minister Mary Polak. “Our government is committed to helping British Columbians protect themselves from the risk factors that lead to chronic diseases like diabetes.”

ActNow BC provides many tools and resources to help empower people to become experts in managing their health. This cross-government initiative supports chronic disease prevention and offers many supports to help British Columbians lead healthier lives. These include tips for healthy eating, eliminating tobacco use, maintaining a healthy weight, and increasing physical activity. Since 2007, the ActNow BC Road to Health Community Tour has visited 37 cities across British Columbia, reaching out to more than 255,000 British Columbians with the message of healthy living and prevention of diseases.

The BC Diabetes Care Guideline for family doctors is another resource that describes the care objectives for the prevention, diagnosis and management of diabetes. More than 3,000 family doctors have adopted the guidelines and, to date, more than 141,000 patients with diabetes have benefited from the recommended care and have had fewer health complications.

The Canadian Diabetes Association indicates diabetes is the world’s fourth leading cause of death and is increasing daily, affecting an estimated 246 million people globally. People with diabetes are at higher risk of heart disease and stroke.

“Most Canadians don’t know that heart disease is a serious complication of diabetes,” said Jean Blake, executive director, Pacific of the Canadian Diabetes Association. “Today, only one in five people living with diabetes survives heart disease. The good news is that we can all do better. In fact, Canadians can reduce their risk of developing type 2 diabetes by over 50 per cent by getting active, losing weight and eating right.”

In addition to costs related to health and quality of life, the estimated direct costs for diabetes to the health-care system in B.C., including hospitalization, Medical Services Plan and PharmaCare costs, were approximately $1.04 billion in 2003/04. These costs could rise to $1.9 billion by 2015/2016. If prevention initiatives can lower the incidence of diabetes by just 25 per cent, approximately $200 million could be saved annually within 12 years.

More information on diabetes and self-care can be found in the BC HealthGuide program at www.bchealthguide.org, or by calling the BC NurseLine at 604 215-4700 within Greater Vancouver, toll-free at 1-866-215-4700 elsewhere in B.C.

For more information on ActNow BC, visit www.actnowbc.gov.bc.ca.

The Canadian Diabetes Association website also offers information at www.diabetes.ca, or by phone at 604 732-INFO (4636), or Toll Free 1-800-268-4656. The Association also operates North America’s only Chinese Diabetes Information Line at 1-888-666-8586.

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Media contact:	Anne McKinnon Communications Director Ministry of Healthy Living and Sport 250 952-2387

For more information on government services or to subscribe to the Province’s news feeds using RSS, visit the Province’s website at www.gov.bc.ca.