Health messages on Waitangi Day to grow community

03.02.09

The Let’s Beat Diabetes programme is supporting New Zealand’s second largest Waitangi Day Festival held in Manukau City.

“Our involvement with this celebration is significant. The Treaty of Waitangi was and is a vision for our future to ensure that Maori and non-Maori prosper and grow together,” says Chad Paraone, Programme Director for Let’s Beat Diabetes.

According to Mr Paraone the Counties Manukau community has the highest rates of Type 2 Diabetes and childhood obesity in Aotearoa. This complex condition which reduces life expectancy by a decade, and increases the years of living with disability. Yet it is, for the most part, preventable through a healthy diet and regular physical activity.

Diabetes is most prevalent among Maaori, Pacific and South Asian and vulnerable populations. Being overweight and doing little or no exercise are major contributors to the condition.

The focus of the Let’s Beat Diabetes programme at the festival will be to raise awareness that Type 2 Diabetes can be prevented and to encourage the community to “swap to water” and “get more active” as ways they can make healthy choices to reduce their risk of diabetes.

The New Zealand Health Survey released last year showed that children in Counties Manukau drank fizzy drinking more often than children anywhere else in the country.  “There is a strong association between fizzy drinks and increased obesity as well as type 2 diabetes. Fizzy drinks are high in sugar and have little nutritional value,” says Mr Paraone. “Water is always healthiest choice for all the whaanau.”

Bottled water and frisbees will be some of the giveaways provided at the Let’s Beat Diabetes stand supporting their campaign.

In 2007, it was estimated that up to 27,000 people were diagnosed with diabetes in the district, representing more than 6% of the adult population. A further 9,000 people were estimated to be undiagnosed. Without intervention these figures could be expected to double over the next 20 years.

The Counties Manukau based programme Let’s Beat Diabetes Programme is a community partnership aimed at long-term changes to prevent and/or delay the onset of diabetes, slow the disease’s progression, and increase the quality of life for people with diabetes. Its success depends on the action and commitment of all its partner organisations, which together work towards achieving its goals.