National Diabetes Awareness Month - November 2007
BINGHAMTON, NY - November is National Diabetes Awareness Month. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), an estimated 20.8 million Americans have diabetes, and approximately 6.2 million people have diabetes and do not even know it. Another 41 million Americans have pre-diabetes, a condition in which blood glucose levels are higher than normal but not high enough to be called diabetes. Pre-diabetes increases the risk of developing type 2 diabetes, heart disease, and stroke.
Studies have shown that most people with pre-diabetes go on to develop type 2 diabetes within 10 years. However, progression to diabetes among those with pre-diabetes is not inevitable. Studies have shown that people with pre-diabetes who lose weight and increase their physical activity can prevent or delay diabetes and even return their blood glucose levels to normal.
“Being diagnosed with pre-diabetes is not something that is to be taken lightly,” said Claudia Edwards, Public Health Director for the Broome County Health Department. “It means that lifestyle changes should be made in order to prevent diabetes.”
According to data collected by New York State through the Expanded Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System (BRFSS), there has been an increase in diabetes diagnoses in Broome County. 7.3% of those surveyed had been diagnosed with diabetes.
BRFSS data also shows that 7.2% of all adults (over a million) in New York State are estimated to have been diagnosed with diabetes. An estimated additional 450,000 adults have diabetes but remain undiagnosed. Because of a relatively long asymptomatic period, people with type 2 diabetes often do not realize they have the disease until a complication develops, at which point there is less opportunity to mitigate the consequences of the disease with lifestyle interventions.
Understanding risks for diabetes is an important step toward preventing onset of the disease and identifying populations at risk. Major risk factors for type 2 diabetes are increasing age and certain hereditary and behavioral traits. Heredity risks include having a first-degree relative with diabetes and being Native American, African American, or Hispanic. Being overweight, defined as having a body mass index (BMI) of 25 and over, or obese (BMI of 30 and over) and being physically inactive are behavioral risks. Women who have delivered a baby weighing 9 pounds or more or who are diagnosed with gestational diabetes are also at higher risk.
Modification of a behavioral risk has proven to be effective for preventing type 2 diabetes in adults. Increasing physical activity, reducing intake of food high in calories and fat, increasing consumption of dietary fiber, and smoking cessation are positive changes for preventing diabetes. Controlling blood pressure, cholesterol levels, and weight are also important for reducing the risk for diabetes. Promotion of healthy lifestyles should also target children and adolescents, as more and more children and adolescents are becoming overweight, increasing their risk for early onset of type 2 diabetes.
Anyone aged 45 years or older should consider getting tested for diabetes, especially if you are overweight. If you are younger than 45, but are overweight and have one or more additional risk factors, you should consider testing.
For more information about pre-diabetes or diabetes, contact the Southern Tier Diabetes Coalition at 1.877.276.1019 or visit the New York State Department of Health website at www.health.state.ny.us.
CONTACT:
Carrie Abbott, Supervising Public Health Educator
Broome County Health Department: 607.778.2884
email: cabbott@co.broome.ny.us
Broome County Health Department: 607.778.3927
email: cmrva@co.broome.ny.us
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Published Date: 11-13-2007
