[JPG, 77.38 KB]According to the American Diabetes Association, close to 30 million children and adults in the United States have diabetes and another 86 million Americans have prediabetes and are at risk for developing type 2 diabetes. It is estimated that one in four people who have diabetes don’t even know they have the disease. Those are startling statistics proving that diabetes is a very big deal in our country. But diabetes is preventable. Getting regular exercise and eating healthy are the two best ways to avoid diabetes. Step one is to find out if you are at risk for diabetes. Could your health history make a difference? Absolutely. Take the Family Health History Quiz. You can also lower your risk by making healthy lifestyle choices.
If you have just been diagnosed with diabetes, or have been living with diabetes for a while, diabetes education and support are important to help you stay healthy.
You are the most important member of your health care team. Learn as much as you can about your disease and talk to your diabetes care team about how you can best care for your diabetes to stay healthy. Learning to manage your diabetes from the start can help you have fewer health problems from diabetes later. Living with the day-to-day demands of diabetes can be challenging. Having a network of support can help.
Diabetes education is needed throughout your lifetime, not just at diagnosis.
Research has shown that diabetes education and support improve health outcomes for people with diabetes, such as lowering average blood sugar, reducing diabetes related complications, and decreasing diabetes-related distress. Studies have also shown diabetes education and support to be cost-effective by reducing hospital admissions and re-admissions.
As you get older, your diabetes needs will change over time. Understanding those changes and how to manage your disease continues to be important. For instance, as you get older, you may experience some other health problems associated with diabetes, such as heart disease, kidney disease, vision problems, or nerve damage. You may also experience other life changes, such as changes that affect your living situation. Continued diabetes education and support can help you manage your diabetes during these times of change.
Having a network of support can help you better cope with the day-to-day demands of living with diabetes.
Being diagnosed with diabetes is often overwhelming. There is a lot to learn about this disease and what you need to do to stay healthy. This means understanding how to:
- Manage your Diabetes ABCs (blood sugar, blood pressure, cholesterol, and stopping smoking)
- Make healthy food choices
- Stay physically active; and
- Take medicines as prescribed.
Be Smart About Your Heart: Manage the ABCs of Diabetes
Many people with diabetes do not realize that having diabetes increases their chances of having a heart attack or stroke. While most people may think about diabetes-related health problems such as kidney disease, blindness and amputation, adults with diabetes are nearly two times more likely to die from heart disease or stroke than a person without diabetes. If you have diabetes, the National Diabetes Education Program (NDEP) and [insert name of organization] wants you to know that you can lower your chance of having a heart attack or stroke by managing your Diabetes ABCs.
- A is for the A1C test (A-one-C). This is a blood test that measures your average blood sugar (glucose) level over the past three months.
- B is for Blood pressure.
- C is for Cholesterol.
- S is for stopping smoking.
If you have diabetes, talk to your doctor about your A1C, Blood pressure, and Cholesterol numbers. Your ABC goals will depend on how long you have had diabetes, and other health problems. If you smoke, ask for help or call the Georgia Tobacco Quit Line:
English: 1.877.270.STOP (1.877.270.7867)
Spanish: 1.877.2NO.FUME (1.877.266.3863)
Hearing Impaired, TTY Services: 1.877.777.6534
American Diabetes Month Facts and Figures*
- Diabetes affects nearly 30 million children and adults in the U.S. today—nearly 10 percent of
the population. - Another 86 million Americans have prediabetes and are at risk for developing type 2 diabetes.
- Recent estimates project that as many as 1 in 3 American adults will have diabetes by 2050 unless
we take steps to Stop Diabetes®. - Every 19 seconds someone in the U.S. is diagnosed with diabetes.
- African Americans and Hispanics are almost twice as likely to have diabetes as non-Hispanic whites.
- Diabetes nearly doubles the risk for heart attack and for death from heart disease.
- Diabetes is the leading cause of kidney failure.
- Diabetes is the leading cause of new cases of blindness among working-age adults.
- The rate of amputation for people with diabetes is 10 times higher than for people without diabetes.
- Roughly 60 to 70 percent of people with diabetes have mild to severe forms of nerve damage that
could result in pain in the feet or hands, slowed digestion, sexual dysfunction and other nerve problems. - The American Diabetes Association estimates that the total national cost of diagnosed diabetes in
the U.S. is $245 billion. - Direct medical costs reach $176 billion and the average medical expenditure among people
with diabetes is more than two times higher than those without the disease. - Indirect costs amount to $69 billion (disability, work loss, premature mortality).
- 1 in 10 health care dollars is spent treating diabetes and its complications.
- 1 in 5 health care dollars is spent caring for people with diabetes.
*Source: American Diabetes Association
Making Healthy Choices
Want to know more about meal planning, shopping tips, grocery lists, chef’s preparation secrets, delicious recipes? Check out Diabetes Forecast.
Additional Diabetes Fact Sheets
Women at High Risk for Diabetes
If You Had Diabetes While Pregnant [PDF, 284.06 KB]
Gestational Diabetes [PDF, 706.98 KB]
