A record 166,360 more adults in England began receiving support last year from a world-leading NHS public health initiative, which helps people lose weight and make lifestyles changes to stop or delay them developing Type 2 diabetes, according to new data.
The analysis also shows that more than 900,000 adults at high risk of developing Type 2 diabetes have started using the NHS’s Healthier You Programme to improve their health, since it was launched in 2016.
Developing Type 2 diabetes can have a devastating impact on people and their families – it is a leading cause of preventable sight loss in people of working age and is a major contributor to kidney failure, limb amputation, heart attack, nerve damage, stroke and many of the commonest types of cancer.
The Healthier You Programme lasts 9 months and is designed to stop or delay the onset of Type 2 diabetes by giving people personalised support, either face-to-face or digitally, on healthier eating, maintaining a healthy weight and keeping physically active.
Research by Manchester University found that completing the Healthier You Programme reduces someone’s chance of developing Type 2 diabetes by 37%, and participants typically achieve an average weight loss of 3.3kg.
Alongside the human cost, the NHS in England typically spends around £10.7 billion a year on identifying and treating diabetes.
Health leaders are urging people to become more aware of their risk of developing Type 2 diabetes during Type 2 Diabetes Prevention Week 2025 (26 May to 1 June).
Dr Clare Hambling, National Clinical Director for Diabetes and Obesity at NHS England, said:
“Type 2 Diabetes and obesity are both major public health challenges for this country, so it is great to see that this world-leading NHS initiative is preventing Type 2 diabetes – and empowering hundreds of thousands of people across England to lead healthier lives.
“Having the opportunity to prevent this life-altering condition via the NHS is remarkable, but it is also important that people are aware of their risk of developing Type 2 diabetes. The Know Your Risk online tool is a quick and easy way of calculating your chance of getting Type 2 diabetes or you can always speak with your GP.”
People can find out their personal risk score for developing Type 2 diabetes by using the specialist online ‘Know Your Risk’ tool hosted by Diabetes UK, and latest data shows it has been used nearly 3.3 million times.
Type 2 diabetes is largely preventable through lifestyle changes. Around 9 out of 10 people with diabetes have type 2, and there are around 2 million people in England at high risk of developing Type 2 diabetes.
It is a complex health condition with multiple risk factors that include age, family history and ethnicity. However, living with obesity is the single greatest risk factor and accounts for 80-85% of someone’s risk of developing the condition.
People can self-register onto the Healthier You Programme if they have been identified as being at risk of developing Type 2 diabetes from their blood sugars – or request a direct referral from their GP.
