Western Sydney is known as a diabetes hotspot, with more than half the population overweight and at risk of developing type 2 diabetes. NSW Health estimates that diabetes rates in Western Sydney are 13% in adults and have been rising for over a decade. Western Sydney Diabetes (WSD) was established in response to the growing threat diabetes poses to our community’s health and wellbeing. The program is led by Western Sydney Local Health District, Western Sydney Primary Health Network (operating as WentWest), Diabetes Australia and the Department of Planning and Environment.
Western Sydney Diabetes Leaders Alliance Meeting
On Monday 19 June, we were proud to co-chair the Western Sydney Diabetes Leaders Alliance meeting and Western Sydney Changing Diabetes meeting to work together with partners and community on the ‘Lose 2kg – Beating Diabetes Together’ campaign.
An expert panel of speakers discussed the importance of diabetes prevention and the impact of community-based initiatives, such as the Thumbs Up Foundation’s Good Tucker App and Western Sydney Diabetes’ free diabetes detection program at Workers Blacktown.
Janine Dawson, Diabetes Prevention Program Manager for WSD, shared her insights from the detection program, “The first thing that we learned there is that most people’s knowledge of nutrition is not that great, but they’re really keen to learn more… We are constantly reminded about the enormity of the problem. Pretty much everyone we speak with either has diabetes, knows someone with diabetes, or has a family member with diabetes.”
Recent studies show that Blacktown residents are currently twice as likely to have diabetes compared to those in Sydney’s eastern and northern suburbs.
As Professor Glen Maberly, Director of Western Sydney Diabetes explained, the new ‘Lose 2kg – Beating Diabetes Together’ campaign has been designed on the knowledge that those with pre-diabetes can cut their diabetes risk by 30% over 10 years. Those already diagnosed with diabetes could even stop or reverse the progression of their diabetes by losing over four kilograms. Diabetes quadruples the risk of heart failure, doubles the risk of heart attack, stroke, and dementia, and significantly increases rates of preventable blindness, kidney disease, cancer, and amputations.
National Diabetes Week Activities
As part of National Diabetes Week, the WSD team will be at Workers Blacktown from 10 to 14 July promoting diabetes detection and prevention and running numerous free activities to educate the community.
Line dancing classes were launched on Wednesday 12 July and will run for the next eight weeks. The classes are suitable for beginners to encourage physical activity in a fun, social setting.
On the last Thursday of every month, healthy cooking demonstrations are held in the Mango Tango Thai restaurant. The demonstrator, nutritionist Paula Escudero, prepares three delicious and healthy fast main meals participants can create at home and modify to suit their own tastes.
Health stations have been set up for a free self-service health check which reads blood pressure, heart rate, weight, height, body mass index, perceived stress and diabetes risk in less than five minutes.
Diabetes Detection Program
WSD runs a Diabetes Detection program twice a month on Tuesday afternoons for members and guests as part of the Western Sydney Changing Diabetes partnership with Novo Nordisk and Workers Lifestyle Group to find out if they have diabetes or are at risk of developing the disease.
For more information about what’s on, visit the WSD website.
WSD Prevention Manager Janine Dawson said together with the support from the club, WSD’s work in prevention has gone “to a new level”.
“We have worked together and learnt from the members what kinds of lifestyle programs are of most interest and the club has made them happen,” Ms Dawson said. “Through our activities we can help people understand what actions should be taken to hopefully avoid diabetes and we’re keen to expand our efforts within the community.”
13 July 2023