Screening for the Study

Taking part

If you are interested in taking part in the study you can check whether you are eligible, and register, by phoning the study team on 01603 597300 or by using the online registration form on this website here. When registering, you will be asked some simple questions to check whether you are eligible for screening. If you are eligible and haven’t already received one from your GP, the study team will then send you a copy of the Patient Information Sheet which explains the study in more detail.

Once you have read the Patient Information Sheet you can contact the study team with any questions you have and to make an appointment.
Clinic appointments are available between 7:45am and 11:30am every week day at the University of East Anglia, Clinical Research and Trials Unit. We will also be offering appointments at other locations at a later date. The study team will write to you to confirm your appointment and will include a map and information about your appointment. Parking at the clinic will be free.

Your appointment

We ask you to fast from 10am the night before your appointment. At the clinic a Senior Health Care Assistant (HCA) will discuss the study with you and ask for your consent to taking part. The HCA will measure height, weight, waist circumference, body fat percentage and visceral fat (a measurement of the amount of fat surrounding the organs) and take a small blood sample (approximately 15mls).

The screening appointment should take about 30 minutes. We will write to you and your GP with the results of the blood test. We think about 1 in 18 people will be found to have impaired fasting glucose (IFG) (glucose levels 6.1-6.9 mmol/l inclusive) and these people will be invited back within two weeks for either a repeat fasting plasma glucose test, or, if they have an average blood glucose test (HbA1c > 6.0), an oral glucose tolerance test.

How diabetes is diagnosed

Blood glucose levels are checked using a simple test. A small sample of blood is taken from a vein in the arm after a period of fasting (not eating) overnight. The sample is then tested for:

• Fasting plasma glucose levels (FPG) - this shows the blood glucose at its lowest levels, after a period without food.
• HbA1c - this measures the average blood glucose level over the preceding 60 days.

The results of the fasting plasma glucose test will be used to diagnose either:

• Normal fasting glucose (NFG) - a fasting blood glucose level of 6.0 mmol/l or below. At this point you will not usually be invited back for further tests.
• Impaired fasting glucose (IFG) - indicated by a fasting blood glucose level of between 6.1 and 6.9mmol/l (inclusive) after a fasting plasma glucose test. The test will usually be repeated to confirm a diagnosis of IFG. This is one of the categories of pre-diabetes and the relative risk of progressing to diabetes for people with IFG is approximately 6-8% per year.
• Impaired glucose tolerance (IGT) - indicated by a two hour blood glucose level during an oral glucose tolerance test of between 7.8 and 11.1 mmol/l. This means that when you consume a sugary load your body is unable to process it efficiently, resulting in a blood sugar level that is still above normal two hours later. This is another category of pre-diabetes.
• Type 2 diabetes - if your blood sugar levels are equal to, or above, 7.0 mmol/l the test will usually be repeated to confirm a diagnosis of type 2 diabetes (T2DM).

Diagnosis and the Norfolk Diabetes Prevention Study

We think that about 90% of tests in the Norfolk Diabetes Prevention Study will show normal results.

If your result is normal we will write to you and your GP with your results. You will not be eligible to take part in the next stage of the Norfolk DPS.

If the results of your test show that you have raised glucose levels we will write to you to invite you back for a further test to confirm these results. We may suggest that you have a different test called an oral glucose test to confirm your results. This involves drinking a glucose drink followed by two blood tests, one immediately before the drink and another after two hours. This test will confirm whether your glucose levels are normal or whether you have pre-diabetes or T2DM.

If your results confirm that you have T2DM or impaired fasting glucose you will be eligible to take part in the second stage of the study. We will write to you with your results and to invite you to take part in the next stage. In addition, those diagnosed with T2DM will be offered an appointment with a study doctor to discuss any concerns or queries you have about diagnosis. This is intended to complement advice or treatment provided by your GP.