Diabetes Prevention Study Reaches 10,000

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One of the largest diabetes research programmes in the UK has just enrolled its 10,000th participant in Norfolk and Suffolk and is now expanding into Essex.

The Norfolk Diabetes Prevention Study has been successfully recruiting volunteers through GP practices in both counties for four years and has now added surgeries in North East Essex.

All the participants are screened and those at the highest risk of developing Type 2 diabetes are invited to take part in a three year lifestyle intervention programme.  The programme involves group sessions to help people increase their activity, eat healthily and lose weight if needed. Some of the participants get additional support between sessions from Diabetes Prevention mentors.

Joining the programme changed Carole Kirks way of life.
Seventy two year old Carole from Mulbarton in Norfolk said she hadn’t had any problems but thought she would join the study when it was offered by her GP. The programme’s screening process then spotted her raised glucose levels.

Her first decision, using what she learned, was to cut sugar out of her diet including two spoonfuls in her tea, and her husband Michael, 75, did the same. Then they took up swimming. “I couldn’t really swim, I did a few strokes then stood up, but I got up to 25 lengths,” said a delighted Carole.

Soon the couple were swimming twice a week and they started walking two or three times a week as well. “We got fitter and fitter and I felt a lot better in myself, I really did,” said Carole.

Carole said she thought the course was “brilliant” and was worth it to have the knowledge about how much sugar is in so many foods. “I don’t even buy chocolate biscuits now.”
She lost nearly a stone in weight and says the programme gave her the push to get fitter.

Her once a month sessions were really enjoyable “It was a pleasure to go to be honest.” Now she tells her friends about the study and what a difference the knowledge she was given has made to her life.

Professor Mike Sampson, the programmes Chief Investigator, said ““We are very pleased to get to the 10,000 mark which was our original goal, and very grateful to the more than 100 GP practices who have worked with us on this project. I think it’s a good example of joint working between the Norfolk and Norwich University Hospital and UEA, and we are also very aware of the support we have from the East of England Clinical Research Network.”

Senior Programme Manager and Principal Investigator Dr Melanie Pascale said “The programme has been a huge success and we are very proud of our team’s hard work throughout Norfolk and Suffolk. We currently have over 1000 participants in the randomised control trials’
‘Overall the feedback from participants has been very positive. The participants take part in a three and a half year lifestyle intervention which enables them to make real sustainable changes. The programme runs at seven centres throughout Norfolk & Suffolk giving people greater access to research’

‘We thank all the participants who have taken part so far and encourage more people to be screened’

People can register themselves via the website www.norfolkdiabetespreventionstudy.nhs.uk or call the team on  01603 597300 to be registered.

The seven year study is being sponsored by the Norfolk and Norwich University Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust and funded with around £2.5m from the National Institute for Health Research. It will run until 2018

Tuesday 16th of February 2016 10:00:34 AM