The idea behind the event was to raise awareness and emphasize the importance of screening for diabetes for individuals who may be living with risk factors for diabetes.

One of the risk factors is a genetic family history that suffers from diabetes, being overweight, eating unhealthy, being inactive, and suffering from chronic illnesses like high blood pressure and high cholesterol for diabetes.

Every year you must screen for diabetes through a finger prick test.

Diabetes educator Kathrin Ratcliffe encourages masses from eMalahleni to visit the centre to get support from the teams who offers a variety of assistance.

Four stations were in place on the day from the pathology station to the dietician and diabetes educators were all present. More information was also provided for people who did not suffer from diabetes ‒ community members were able to learn how to prevent diabetes.

Lee-Ann Nieuwoudt, a biokineticist mentioned that the aim to achieve optimal health and wellness is through exercise therapy and prescription.

“Physical activity is an essential component in the prevention, treatment, and management of diabetes, specifically Type 2 diabetes,” Nieuwoudt said.

Biokineticists are trained to prescribe exercise and movement programmes specific to diabetes patients.

They tailor the programmes to reduce patients’ glucose levels and fat mass while taking into consideration their individualized state of health.

If the patient has any diabetes complications, these are taken into account when developing the programme.

62 people got screened and thirteen families attended and over 70 gift bags filled with snacks and information about diabetes were handed out.

World Diabetes Day is the world’s largest diabetes awareness campaign reaching a global audience of over 1 billion people in more than 160 countries.

The campaign draws attention to issues of paramount importance to the diabetes world and keeps diabetes firmly in the public and political spotlight.

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