The national survey of over 1,000 Australians found that three out of four respondents vastly underestimated the extent of what experts are describing as a “diabetes epidemic”.
It found that 60 per cent of those surveyed failed to link major complications such as heart attacks, stroke, anxiety and depression to the disease.
That is despite more than half of respondents having some form of personal experience with diabetes; either by way of contracting the condition themselves or through knowledge of an affected family member or friend.
"Diabetes is the fastest growing chronic disease in Australia,” said Diabetes Australia chief executive Greg Johnson.
"Most Australians are at risk and you don’t have to be old, you don’t have to be overweight to develop diabetes.
"All types of diabetes are serious and complex and can increase a person’s risk of developing life-threatening complications, yet the general public do not see the whole picture."
To coincide with Diabetes Awareness Week 2015, Diabetes Australia is launching a new national awareness campaign.
The campaign ‘280 a day’ highlights the number of Australians who, Diabetes Australia says, develop diabetes everyday, as well as the daily challenges of managing diabetes.
Diabetes Australia says the campaign does not focus specifically on type 1, type 2 or gestational diabetes, but seeks to increase overall knowledge of the condition, especially among people who do not have the disease.
According to Diabetes Australia, around 1.7 million Australians have diabetes.
It said this number includes some 500,000 people thought to be in the category of ‘silent’, or undiagnosed, type 2 diabetes.
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