KUALA LUMPUR, August 12 — The UK’s National Health Service (NHS) have announced that thousands of people in the country who are at risk of developing diabetes type 2, will be receiving wearable tech devises to help increase awareness of their personal level of fitness.
Around 8,000 individuals would be receiving these devices which would allow them to set and monitor fitness goals, as well as provide access to health coaches and informational content and peer support groups.
Previous pilot programmes have found that more people signed up for the Diabetes Prevention Programme (DPP) through online referrals compared to those provided face-to-face support. Many of those accessing the DPP through this way were young people.
The DPP, is a prevention programme developed in partnership with NHS England, Public Health England and Diabetes UK. Those who have completed it have lost an everage of seven and a half pounds.
Diabetes type 2 imposes a massive burden on the country’s healthcare system, costing more than £6 bn each year.
Almost 4 million people in England live with diabetes type 2, with one in six hospital beds occuppied by someone with the disease. There are more than 9,000 amputations annually.
