Diabetes Grows in Farming Community
You are invited to visit Lions Clubs pavilion at the National Ploughing Championships where Lions plan to screen 7,000 visitors for diabetes
IRELAND’S farmers are at a growing risk of contracting diabetes, recent research has shown.
A report published in the USA reveals that that farmers were second only to transport workers in being advised by a doctor that they had diabetes, while research in Ireland suggests that changing farming practices are also a factor.
Following on the detection of potential diabetes in more than 600 visitors to the National Ploughing Championship last year, Lions Clubs plan to screen a record 7,000 people at the 2018 event in Screggan, Tullamore, Co. Offaly.
A team of 140 Lions and qualified nurses will be at the Lions Marquee at the Championships from 18 th to 20 th September. They will offer visitors a free simple, painless blood test which is designed to identify early symptoms of diabetes. The service will run from 8am to 6pm on each day of the Ploughing Championships
Last year 8.8% of those screened, mainly farmers, were identified as potentially diabetic and were referred to their GPs for further examination.
According to Frank O’Donoghue, District Governor of Lions in Ireland, the incidence of diabetes is accelerating rapidly in rural Ireland due to diet and lifestyle changes and many people who are vulnerable to the disease remain oblivious of the risk that they are running. ‘Medical experts estimate that up to 200,000 people with diabetes in Ireland are unaware of their condition’, says Frank. ‘It is estimated that there are 200,000 people with diabetes and a similar number who have diabetes but are unaware that they have the condition. The majority of these people will only be diagnosed through an acute medical event because they do not have a regular blood test. A further 250,000 people have impaired glucose tolerance or “pre-diabetes” of which 50% will develop diabetes in the next five years if lifestyle changes are not made.’
A study published in the USA last year revealed that farmers were second only to transport workers in being advised by a doctor that they had diabetes.
The extensive survey by Gallup and Sharecare (a healthcare website) revealed that farmers who regularly used certain pesticides were particularly vulnerable Age was also a factor with many of the participating farmers aged 55 and upwards.
Another study, conducted in India revealed that 18% of participating farmers were diabetic.