IDDT launch public awareness campaign

16th March 2009

The Insulin Dependent Diabetes Trust (IDDT) announced today the launch of their latest public awareness campaign, ‘Understanding Your Diabetes.’ This campaign aims to help the general public have a better understanding of the difference between Type 1 and Type 2 diabetes and help those with diabetes make informed choices about their treatment - not just insulin and medication – but how the right treatment can also improve their quality of life.

The 4 key messages in this campaign are that:
1) Patients should always be involved in decisions about the treatment of their diabetes.
2) They shouldn’t be afraid to ask about their medicines and the available choices.
3) If, or when they move to insulin treatment, then they should know that they can choose between animal, human, or analogue insulins.
4) They should be aware that synthetic human and analogue insulins involve different regimes that often require more frequent daily injections compared with animal insulins. So they need to be able to discuss the choices with their GP to consider how different regimes may affect their lifestyle.

IDDT’s Chair, Jenny Hirst commented; ‘Our members, whether they have Type 1 or Type 2 diabetes, tell us that they need our support and that’s exactly why we set-up IDDT over 15 years ago – to help them manage their condition.’

She continued, ‘People with Type 1 diabetes are tired of being accused – by ill-informed people – that the reason that they have diabetes is because they eat too much sugar, or that they must have been overweight at some stage in their lives. The truth is very different! People with Type 1 diabetes have it through no fault of their own and it is totally unavoidable. In addition, many patients who have Type 2 diabetes also need help to better understand their condition. So we hope that this campaign will help to clarify the differences between the two types of diabetes and help all those who are currently struggling with their management of the disease.’

As part of this awareness campaign the charity has produced a patient information booklet, entitled, ‘Understanding Your Diabetes’ which is available free of charge and explains in detail the differences between Type 1 and Type 2 diabetes.* The booklet is written in plain English and explains the relationship between insulin or medication, diet and exercise. In doing this, it supports people with both types of diabetes by removing some of the harmful myths and misunderstandings. Alongside this booklet the charity will be running a series of advertisements in the medical press and exhibiting at professional conferences to encourage GPs and practice nurses to ‘spread the word’ to their patients.

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