PIF member Diabetes UK has published a report on the impact and prevalence of type 2 diabetes in children and adults under 40. It says drastic changes to the environments we live in and the food we eat are taking a toll on our health. Type 2 diabetes in children and people under 40 has risen by 40% since 2016. This trend is set to continue unless bold action is taken to ensure the building blocks of health are in place for every child.
As well as revealing the overall increase in type 2 diabetes among young people, the report also highlights start inequalities in diabetes risk and outcomes:
- Children in the most deprived areas are five times more likely to develop type 2 diabetes than those in the least deprived.
- More than a third of adults under 40 with type 2 diabetes are from the most deprived quintile in England.
- People from black and South Asian background are more likely to develop type 2 diabetes.
Recommendations
Diabetes UK is calling for sustainable investment in targeted support for younger people with type 2 diabetes to make sure everyone can live well with diabetes. The report makes a series of recommendations for Government including:
- Bringing forward an effective cross-government strategy to reduce health inequalities, including recognising diabetes as a major driver of health inequity.
- Implementing an enhanced support offer for people newly diagnosed with type 2 diabetes to support self-management in the first year post diagnosis.
- Investing in piloting of the NHS health check from age 25 in areas of high type 2 diabetes prevalence, focusing on the most vulnerable groups.