World Kidney Day - spreading awareness about the impact of kidney disease
This World Kidney Day, our charity partner, Kidney Research UK, launched a campaign to highlight the impact of kidney disease on patients and families and to help the public understand why kidneys matter.
A recent Kidney Research UK survey revealed a significant knowledge gap amongst the UK adults with 80% not being aware of the main function of the kidneys and 81% unable to identify where they are in the body. In addition, 60% of the respondents who were at risk of kidney disease did not believe they were, which must be addressed to help save lives.
Sandra Currie chief executive at Kidney Research UK said: “Despite their incredibly important role in keeping our body functioning, the kidneys are worryingly overlooked. These results confirm our fears that most people have very little understanding about kidneys and kidney disease. Most concerning is the number of people who are unaware of their risk of developing kidney disease. We estimate around a million people in the UK could be living with kidney disease without knowing. This World Kidney Day, we’re urging everyone to use our online kidney health check to understand their risks.”
Get to know your kidneys better and use the online kidney health check to understand your risks and how you can protect yourself.
The BIA 850 Global Challenge
Fundraising is essential to Kidney Research UK’s mission to transform the lives of the 850 million people living with kidney disease across the world. Challenge yourself and your team by joining the BIA and Kidney Research UK 850 Challenge, taking place throughout April and May 2022.
Whether you’re looking to achieve a personal fitness or fundraising goal, develop your team building or enjoy some friendly rivalry and win the competition (either in the team or individual category) – the BIA 850 Challenge is an opportunity to have fun, raise your company profile, make new contacts, potentially win great prizes, and most importantly, raise money for an incredible charity.
This April and May, we are challenging you to run/walk 85km, cycle 850km or swim 8.5km as a minimum. In addition to the inspiration you’ll gain from your teammates, BIA Strava clubs for cyclists, walkers, and runners will enable you to make connections and compare progress with others in your area and beyond.
Open to BIA member companies only; teams will consist of a maximum of 10 people; companies can enter multiple teams.
World Kidney Day action on mental health
This World Kidney Day politicians around the UK are being charged with improving the provision of mental health services for kidney patients.
Growing evidence of the impact of kidney disease on people’s mental health and the inadequacy of mental health support for kidney patients has been corroborated by a survey of over 1,000 patients commissioned by Kidney Research UK. This found that 67% of kidney patients had experienced symptoms of depression and a quarter had considered self-harm or suicide. However, 68% had not been offered any mental health support.
You can add your weight to the campaign by using email templates to write to your political representatives or ask them for an online meeting on or around World Kidney Day to raise awareness of kidney disease and explain why mental health provision for kidney patients needs to change.
This is one important step in ongoing work for Kidney Research UK in this area – and a great opportunity to ensure our politicians sit up and take notice.