Know your blood glucose level
- your health depends on it
Media Release
July 2002
Australians are being encouraged to adopt an important measure of their
health… their blood glucose level. It’s part of an innovative public
awareness campaign to find half a million Australians living with Type 2
diabetes but who don’t know it - yet.
Launched in Sydney on 14 July by leading nutritionist Dr
Rosemary Stanton, the campaign links awareness of blood glucose levels
with people’s awareness of cholesterol and blood pressure. The campaign
which uses the slogan Be Well – Know Your BGL, will help prevent and
control diabetes, the fastest growing chronic disease in Australia.
'There is growing evidence from a number of studies that
we can delay or prevent the onset of Type 2 diabetes through healthy
eating and exercise programs,' said Rosemary. 'Just as many people know
their cholesterol or blood pressure. Australians who are at risk of
diabetes should know their blood glucose level, or BGL,' she said.
As part of the campaign, a television commercial featuring Capilano
Honey-sponsored swimming legend Susie O’Neill, introduces people to the
phrase 'BGL' and encourages them to ask their GP about blood glucose at
their next visit. A first step to taking control of their health, is an
innovative scratchie card, which people can use to determine their risk
factors, before they see their doctor. It also raises awareness of obesity
and the benefits of exercise.
The campaign is funded by the charity, Diabetes Australia, and partners
Alphapharm, Abbott and Capilano Honey, and comes at a time when this
country faces a spiralling increase in the number of people being
diagnosed with diabetes.
Diabetes Australia says that for the first time just over 1,000 people are
being diagnosed with diabetes every week, bringing to 54,500 the number of
confirmed cases in the past 12 months. Latest registration figures show
the total number of diabetes sufferers has reached 520,000.
For every known case, there is another person undiagnosed,
making a total of 1.040 million. If the trend continues, Diabetes
Australia expects the number to reach 1.7 million by 2010. For further
information about diabetes, call Diabetes Australia on 1300 136 588
