BBC Stats

[KeithD]

They are bloody stupid in the media, and the Beeb is one of the worse.

Today the headline is: Rates of diabetes soar in the UK

"From 1997 to 2003 there was a 74% rise in new cases of diabetes."

....and yet if you read the actual report itself the rate has changed from 26/100,00 to 43/10,000.

So an extra 17 people per 10,000 have diabetes now than in 1997. Doesn't look like it has SOARED when you look at the figures in simple terms does it?

[aromulus]

They are bloody stupid in the media, and the Beeb is one of the worse.

Today the headline is: Rates of diabetes soar in the UK

"From 1997 to 2003 there was a 74% rise in new cases of diabetes."

....and yet if you read the actual report itself the rate has changed from 26/100,00 to 43/10,000.

So an extra 17 people per 10,000 have diabetes now than in 1997. Doesn't look like it has SOARED when you look at the figures in simple terms does it?

Believe it or not, the 17 extra people could well be Asian immigrants to this country.
It is a well known and proven fact that asians do tend to suffer with the condition more so than the western population.
One idea given to that effect is the change of diet.

[KeithD]

Plus we also have much more awareness, and better testing, so anyone with an aounce of scientic or stats understanding can see that 17 can probaly safely be halved and still represent a true figure. Which would then make it less than an extra person per 1000!!! Nothing I would consider a soring increase!!

[Piamed]

The beauty of statistics!!!!!!!

[PeterB]

One idea given to that effect is the change of diet.

If you mean a change to a western diet on arrival in UK, then I suspect that is not the case. I'm aware of a lot more diabetics here in Phils than I ever was in the UK. And this is a country with no free medical service, so the number of undetected cases is likely to be higher too.

[johncar54]

Re the numbers. From researching the internet. It would seem that the figures quoted above ....and yet if you read the actual report itself the rate has changed from 26/100,00 to 43/10,000. is almost certainly a misprint and that the numbers have increased considerably.

[KeithD]

You don't deal with stats every day do you? It's my work you see, and unlike the media, I read the actual report from the government....did you? Thought not!

[joebloggs]

The beauty of statistics!!!!!!!

yes meaningless,

put your head in a oven and your feet in a fridge, and a statistician will tell you your ok

[KeithD]

yes meaningless,

put your head in a oven and your feet in a fridge, and a statistician will tell you your ok

It'll be the scouser though that turns the gas on for you and hands you the matches

[somebody]

If you mean a change to a western diet on arrival in UK, then I suspect that is not the case. I'm aware of a lot more diabetics here in Phils than I ever was in the UK. And this is a country with no free medical service, so the number of undetected cases is likely to be higher too.

Many gujurati Indians suffer from Diabetes in the UK and the west.

Many still eat a mainly familiar diet its the portions and lack of exercise it seems

Another race/nation of people who have changed dramtically are somanlis who i can remeber 10 years ago you would recogonise in the most due to their thin bodies and facial features. Now many have bloated out. I would think that Diabetes would have risen greatly also in their group.

Lets face it many Phills have a diet which has tremdous amounts of fat, sugar and salt used in it.

[Belmontboy]

They are bloody stupid in the media, and the Beeb is one of the worse.

Today the headline is: Rates of diabetes soar in the UK

"From 1997 to 2003 there was a 74% rise in new cases of diabetes."

....and yet if you read the actual report itself the rate has changed from 26/100,00 to 43/10,000.

So an extra 17 people per 10,000 have diabetes now than in 1997. Doesn't look like it has SOARED when you look at the figures in simple terms does it?

So you don't think an extra 17/10,000 is significant ?
That means that statistically, 102,000 MORE people in scotland now have diabetes. I think this is significant, so why knock the BBC for at least alerting us to the problem ?

[joebloggs]

So you don't think an extra 17/10,000 is significant ?
That means that statistically, 102,000 MORE people in scotland now have diabetes. I think this is significant, so why knock the BBC for at least alerting us to the problem ?

as one doc said in the news papers,,,

its like putting an extra 17 bullets in a gun with 10,000 chambers,

chances are still small

[johncar54]

So you don't think an extra 17/10,000 is significant ?
That means that statistically, 102,000 MORE people in scotland now have diabetes. I think this is significant, so why knock the BBC for at least alerting us to the problem ?

I think 17 per 10,000 is 0.0017%, thus the population of UK at about 60 million means there are 102,000 extra cases in UK (which I believe still includes Scotland).

Apologies Belmontboy if yours was just a typing error but I agree, a very significant number, albeit only a small percentage.

[aromulus]

As usual the media being alarmists....

There was no need to use the word "soar"..... Was there...?

And that is what, I think, Keith's point was....

Any increases in diabetes or any other condition is bad, never mind the percentage per population, but to state that would, in my mind, scare rather than make people more aware of the situation.

On the same token, if you believe other snippets that come up from time to time....

In the Uk
3000 people die every week for smoke related diseases.
2000 people die every week with cancer.
4000 people die every week with heart disease
And the list is endless, at this rate, in 25 years time there won't be a native brit left in the country....

Scaremongering.

Sorry po....

[johncar54]

Any increases in diabetes or any other condition is bad, never mind the percentage per population, but to state that would, in my mind, scare rather than make people more aware of the situation.

Yes of course you are right, but new 43 per 10,000 a year, is almost 5000 new cases every week and that is a significant number. The increase of 17 per 10,000 also means almost 2,000 additional new cases each week. With those figures 'soaring' seems not so far off the target, especially for those affected !

[aromulus]

Yes of course you are right, but new 43 per 10,000 a year, is almost 5000 new cases every week and that is a significant number. The increase of 17 per 10,000 also means almost 2,000 additional new cases each week. With those figures 'soaring' seems not so far off the target, especially for those affected !

As I stated on a previous post, I am of the opinion that most of the increase is due to immigration from asian countries and middle east, south asia.
Way of life, diet change, junk food, and all that blarney.

[KeithD]

But has their been any increase at all? We now have better methods of finding out if people have diabetes, we now have more categories of diabetes for people to snugly fit into.

Perspective is the issue when the media use stats....the government do the same, their are 3 ways of giving out the same stats, and the 1 in 10,000 is the simplest that everyone understands, the other 2 methods, one of which the Beeb used in this case try to make it look like a pandemic!

[aromulus]

So according to this bit of news out today, and relatively speaking.... By now, everyone that originates from and live in mediterrenean countries, plus south America should be diabetic by default.....

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/scotland/...st/7931508.stm

[KeithD]

A few months ago BBC stats, after you stripped them down, said that 1 in 10 men are a kiddie beast!!!