Petitition re advert on C4

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kojack

kojack

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Relationship to Diabetes
Type 2
Whilst it is aimed at obesityand lifestyle related T2 in the young,it fails to mention the age relation to development of T2.
Having spent some time in Milwaukee USA and witnessed their diet there I can understand the obesity association.
It is obviously awful and misinformed but I get the feeling even on this board that it is assumed that all T2 is unhealthy lifestyle related.
Just a caveat before we all froth too much.
 
Hi Kojack

Its turned into a pretty hot topic hasn't it? I dont think its assumed on here, of all places, that all T2 is unhealthy lifestyle related but it is widely accepted that lifestyle/weight can be a factor in the development of T2 (although not in all- we all know 20% have normal weight at diagnosis) whereas 98% of T1 is caused by autoimmune disease unrelated to lifestyle. Although they share alot of common ground the two types of diabetes are different. Not having a go at T2's by saying that, not for one second assuming all T2s have unhealthy lifestyles or attempting to engage in a 'whos got it worst' debate- diabetes sucks and no-one deserves it.Full stop.

In fact I think that T2s should be just as offended at the advert as T1s. As you say it focuses purely on lifestyle and weight and conveniently overlooks other factors such as age and genetic vunerability and even certain medication which are also widely recognised in playing a role in the development of T2.

Scaremongering, incorrect adverts like this not only cause distress, offense and spread ignorance but they can also damage charities like DUK and JDRF who rely on donations because, seriously, would you give money to a charity for something you percieve (via the media) as self inflicted from an unhealthy and undisciplined lifestyle?

So with this in mind I'd ask T1s, T2s, T1.5s, MODY's,parents, friends and everyone who falls under the umbrella of diabetes to sign the petitions, complain to the Advertising standards authority and put aside any feelings of 'in-fighting' to get this add changed or pulled as it does NONE of us any favours.
 
Hi

Just to let you know that the Change4life website has now been altered to read type 2 diabetes.

We are getting there, they are listening. Now we need to concentrate on the adverts.

Thanks to everyone who is helping with this bombardment to all and sundry, we need to continue.

I do realise that is it not fair on type 2's as well, as type 2 is not all about being obese and bad lifestyles but at the moment this is all about protecting the type 1 children (and adults) for which obesity and bad living has absolutely nothing to do with their kind of diabetes ever.

Thanks
 
I think everyone on this message board has a good understanding of diabetes, and none of us think that you must be obese or unhealthy if you are type 2! I wouldn't assume that, so hope you don't feel fellow diabetics are assuming things about you because you are type 2.
 
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I have to speak up here. I don't like the way that obesity is being hammered here - it is far from the only unhealthy thing people can do, health is much more complicated than fat and thin. And people with bad diets are not always fat - some are very active, others might eat junk and then skip meals as well. For example the swimmer Michael Phelps I think his name is who was in all the papers during the Olympics, thousands of calories of junk food, yet he is slim and very fit and many would assume as an athlete he would eat a very healthy diet. You cannot tell what someone's diet is from looking at them and health is about more than being fat or thin. Fat does not always equal unhealthy and thin does not always equal healthy. As a fat person I am beginning to feel a little attacked here. Is it really so bad to be like me? Is 'fat' really such a terrible insult?

And if someone is type 2 and fat, surely the best thing is not to criticise their "bad lifestyle", but to support and encourage them to make any lifestyle changes necessary. I know I am fat, people telling me I have a bad lifestyle is not going to help me, in fact it is more likely to make me feel sad and stay in bed and eat. I am not saying poor me, I am just stating facts. If you make people feel guilty or make them see food as an enemy, that only encourages bingeing and disordered eating.

At the moment, the news is all bad, people are afraid for their jobs, unemployed or in financial difficulty. It is only to be expected that people turn to whatever crutch they use, be it food, cigarettes or booze or whatever. Add to that the freezing cold weather which makes people want to curl up in bed and eat starchy food. People are hardly likely to motivate themselves to run 5 miles before breakfast or live off organic vegetables in that climate, however much the government tells us to. Being fat was not a crime last time I looked, it was not something children needed protecting from.

I am sorry if people think I am overreacting but weight and food are very sensitive issues for me and I could not just sit there and say nothing. I don't want to offend anyone but I feel strongly about this.
 
I totally agree Lizzie, plus the statistic 80% of obese people are NOT Type 2.

I know the campaign against Change4life is maybe looking like the supporters are now stigmatising Type 2's, but that's not the intension. It started by parents of Type 1 children, campaigning to protect their children. That includes me, a Type 2 parent with a Type 1 son.

I haven't yet read the change in the website, I hope it states, T2 "may" be linked to an unhealthy lifestyle... going to look.
 
I agree with Lizzie - I am overweight but have always eaten healthily. Obviously I am not averse to the odd takeaway and junk food but by no means do I even have them even monthly. I think its far more important to be fit and healthy and I tell myself constantly that if I hadn't given up running 6 years ago then maybe I wouldn't be in this position. For me it's the age old saying that if you eat more than you burn then you put on weight. Going from running 20 - odd miles a week, every week to having a very sedentary lifestyle (and from being single to a committed relationship and hence cooking every night) has certainly had an effect on my weight. Had I known then what I know now then maybe things would be different. Equally - type 2 is in my family anyway so who knows if I would have been at risk regardless?
 
Hi

Can I just say that I too am obese (god I had that word) but I am and I am relatively healthy with it, I'm not type 2 so please understand that I am not 'hammering away' at type 2 and being fat, it's far from that. Infact it is the government and DUK and the media who keep bringing up the words 'fat' and 'obese' and unhealthy lifestyles. We know, ie all the diabetics, whether, 1, 2, gestational or parents of, what the causes are and why people may get diabetes and we all know that lots of the time being overweight doesn't come into it so it is not us that has the problem. It is the powers that be and it is them that we are going on at, not the people with whatever type of diabetes.

The problem at the moment is keeping the type 1 children protected from bullying by their peers, teachers (yep) and other people and as type 1 is absolutely nothing to do with weight or anything that is what we are focusing on.

Please do not take any of this way at all, it is not a slur on being fat, I am extremely fat and have just been shopping in Evans as that is what fits (sometimes) :D:D
 
TYPE 1 versus TYPE 2 Round 1 ding ding

Hi
I thought we should all be supporting each other not saying who's the worse one here!
Im quite dissapointed how we should be sticking together not scoring points on who's worse off!

My personal views on this are as follows: back when I was first diagnosed there were 3 diabetics.
a) insulin and diet b) tablets and diet c) diet alone

Of the above we are all diabetic's. I do wonder where the type 1 type 2 originates but I dont think it helps sometimes.

People speak of 'im this type and your that type' I wonder if that sometimes helps.

We are all equal and all have similar problems.

Please Please Please lets not all get personal.🙄
 
Hi Kitemaster

Well said, it is support that we were asking for. I posted my post above to try to make a point that it didn't matter who was fat or thin, who was type 1 or type 2 or whatever, the whole point to this petition against the CHange4life is that the facts are wrong and there are children who are type 1 who are being bullied.

So yes I really hope that we can all come together on this, it is for the whole diabetes community, fat, thin, old, young, pretty, ugly, 1 or 2, parent or not! to join together to protect the children.

Thanks again Kitemaster.
 
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