A poster referring to diabetics as “fat cats” will be removed from the CSIRO’s Discovery Centre in Canberra after inquiries by the ABC.

The poster, which has been on display for about 10 years, did not distinguish between the different types of diabetes, instead inferring that all cases of the disease were related to excess body fat.

The life-threatening type 1 diabetes is an autoimmune disease and not related to diet, body fat or exercise.

Diabetes Australia chief executive Greg Johnson said the poster was disappointing, and the use of the term ‘fat cats’ was inappropriate.

“Firstly they should be much clearer in saying this is particularly about type 2 diabetes and the risk of developing that, and secondly it’s this use of the term fat cats and trivialising what is a serious problem,” he said.

Professor Johnson said while excess weight gain and the accumulation of visceral fat was a risk factor for type 2 diabetes, not all type 2 diabetics were overweight.

“A lot of people are not obviously overweight or obese and don’t obviously have a large amount of excess fat, but still develop type 2 diabetes,” he said.

Mother takes action after seeing poster

Victoria Innes, a Brisbane mother whose 11-year-old daughter was diagnosed with type 1 diabetes three years ago, spotted the poster while visiting the Canberra centre with her daughter’s school.

She said she was horrified at the title and misinformation, which she said perpetuated the incorrect assumption that type 1 diabetes was preventable.

“Every day we come up against the perception that her [daughter’s] diabetes is lifestyle-related,” Ms Innes said.

“On most occasions we use this to educate, but sometimes it just gets to a point where you just nod and smile politely, as it can be draining.

“[People tell us about] a grandma, mother or friend who has lost a limb or eyesight from diabetes, and she is constantly asked can she eat this or that.”

But Ms Innes did not expect she would be the one instigating change and better education at a national, well-respected authority like the CSIRO.

After seeing the poster, she shared the photo on a diabetes support group Facebook page.

“This was also after the awe-inspiring speech [at the centre] about how great the CSIRO are … so the idea that they are right about everything is ripe in their young minds,” she said in an online post.

“I was quite shocked … I had actively sought out any information [at the centre] as this topic is a big part of my life.”

Other parents also found it offensive.

“That’s just terrible … fat cats,” one contributor wrote, while another added: “Oh dear … that’s upsetting that they’re spreading the wrong information. Thanks CSIRO for making people more ignorant.”

CSIRO takes action after concerns raised

In a statement issued to the ABC, the CSIRO said the poster had been on display for about 10 years and some of its information “was out of date or no longer accurate”.

A spokesman said the poster would be removed, and a review of other material to ensure its accuracy would be conducted.

Although the information had been on display to the public and school groups for the past decade, the Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation has welcomed the CSIRO’s actions to now remove it.

The foundation’s Philip Hargrave-Smith said the terminology it contained was “unfortunate”.

“Especially when being presented to a group of children, because if you’ve got 20 children in a class and they know that one of their own is a diabetic, then perhaps all that they would take away from that would be the phrase ‘fat cats’,” he said.

Diabetes Australia said the rate of diabetes was increasing in Australia, and current statistics showed there were 1.2 million people with type 2; 120,000 people with type 1; 35,000 with gestational diabetes; and 7,000 with another or unspecified type of diabetes.

– Kylie Bartholomew