Diabetes is one of the leading causes of disability and death in the United States. More than 100 million people have diabetes in the United States and another 96 million adults in the United States have prediabetes.1 It can cause blindness, nerve damage, kidney disease, and other health problems if uncontrolled. Public Housing Primary Care Health Centers experienced an 18% increase in clinical appointments where there was a diagnosis of diabetes from 2020-2022.2
There are three types of diabetes: Type 1 (insulin dependent diabetes), Type 2, (adult-onset diabetes), and gestational diabetes (diabetes that occurs during pregnancy). Though there is no cure for diabetes yet, a healthy lifestyle can really reduce its impact on your life. What you do every day makes the difference: eating a healthy diet, being physically active, taking medicines if prescribed, and keeping health care appointments to stay on track.3
We can use this month to raise awareness about diabetes risk factors and encourage people to make healthy changes. Here are just a few ideas:
- Encourage people to make small changes, like taking the stairs instead of the elevator.
- Talk to people in your community about getting regular checkups. They can get their blood pressure and cholesterol checked and ask the doctor about their diabetes risk.
- Ask doctors and nurses to be leaders in their communities by speaking about the importance of healthy eating and physical activity.
CDC, state, and territorial diabetes prevention and control programs are working with public and private partners to improve outcomes for persons with diabetes and to reduce the incidence of type 2 diabetes. Resources on family history and gestational diabetes are available here, and information about diabetes is available here.
Resources:
1. https://www.cdc.gov/diabetes/basics/index.html
2. https://data.hrsa.gov/tools/data-reporting/special-populations
3. http://www.diabetes.org/in-my-community/american-diabetes-month/?referrer=https://www.google.com/
4. https://www.yourdiabetesinfo.org/
5. https://www.cdc.gov/diabetes/home/index.html
6. https://www.niddk.nih.gov/health-information/diabetes/overview/managing-diabetes