March 26 is Diabetes Alert Day: Info on Prevention from CDC #Health

Announcements: Diabetes Alert Day — March 26, 2013
March 26 is Diabetes Alert Day, which is dedicated to raising awareness about type 2 diabetes, its risk factors, and its prevention. Type 2 diabetes, which can be prevented or delayed through lifestyle changes such as losing weight and increasing physical activity, accounts for 90%–95% of all diabetes cases in the United States (1).

Information about type 2 diabetes and ways to prevent it is available from numerous sources.The Prediabetes Risk Test (http://www.cdc.gov/diabetes/prevention/prediabetes.htm) is a helpful resource that uses answers to a few simple questions about weight, age, family history, and other risk factors to indicate a person’s risk for developing type 2 diabetes.

The CDC-led National Diabetes Prevention Program (http://www.cdc.gov/diabetes/prevention/index.htm) is working with partners in communities across the United States to establish effective lifestyle change programs for persons at high risk for type 2 diabetes. Lifestyle change programs are listed by state at http://www.cdc.gov/diabetes/prevention/recognition/registry.htm#program. The Just One Step tool (http://ndep.nih.gov/resources/diabetes-healthsense/just-one-step.aspxExternal Web Site Icon), created by the National Diabetes Education Program, a joint program of the CDC and the National Institutes of Health, provides helpful tips for making lifestyle changes.

CDC’s Diabetes Interactive Atlases (http://www.cdc.gov/diabetes/atlas) provide data on trends in diagnosed diabetes (both prevalence and incidence), obesity, and leisure-time physical inactivity in the United States. Additional information about diabetes control and prevention is available at http://www.cdc.gov/diabetes.
Reference

   1. CDC. 2011 national diabetes fact sheet: national estimates and general information on diabetes and prediabetes in the United States. Atlanta, GA: US Department of Health and Human Services, CDC; 2011. Available at http://www.cdc.gov/diabetes/pubs/pdf/ndfs_2011.pdf Adobe PDF file.

Please see full at:
http://www.cdc.gov/mmwr/preview/mmwrhtml/mm6211a6.htm?s_cid=mm6211a6_w

Awareness of Prediabetes — United States, 2005–2010
Weekly
March 22, 2013 / 62(11);209-212

In 2010, approximately one in three U.S. adults aged =20 years (an estimated 79 million persons) had prediabetes, a condition in which blood glucose or hemoglobin A1c (A1c) levels are higher than normal but not high enough to be classified as diabetes (1). Persons with prediabetes are at high risk for developing type 2 diabetes, which accounts for 90%–95% of all cases of diabetes. Each year, 11% of persons with prediabetes who do not lose weight and do not engage in moderate physical activity will progress to type 2 diabetes during the average 3 years of follow-up (2). Evidence-based lifestyle programs that encourage dietary changes, moderate-intensity physical activity, and modest weight loss can delay or prevent type 2 diabetes in persons with prediabetes (2). Identifying persons with prediabetes and informing them about their increased risk for type 2 diabetes are first steps in encouraging persons with prediabetes to make healthy lifestyle changes. However, during 2005–2006, only approximately 7% of persons with prediabetes were aware that they had prediabetes (3). To examine recent changes in awareness of prediabetes and factors associated with awareness among adults aged =20 years, CDC analyzed data from the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES). This report describes the results of that analysis, which indicated that, during 2009–2010, approximately 11% of those with prediabetes were aware of their condition. Furthermore, during 2005–2010, estimated awareness of prediabetes was <14% across all population subgroups, different levels of health-care access or use, and other factors. In the United States, persons with prediabetes, including those with regular access to health care, might benefit from efforts aimed at making them aware that they are at risk for developing type 2 diabetes and that they can reduce that risk by making modest lifestyle changes. Efforts are needed to increase awareness.
http://www.cdc.gov/mmwr/preview/mmwrhtml/mm6211a4.htm?s_cid=mm6211a4_w