In North Carolina approximately 643,000 people have been diagnosed with diabetes, and over 200,000 more are likely not aware that they have this disease. People with diabetes are not able to use their food for energy the way that people without diabetes can. People with diabetes end up with too much sugar in their blood, which can lead to amputations, blindness, heart disease and kidney failure. The good news about diabetes is that, in many cases, it can be controlled or prevented with some lifestyle changes such as increased physical activity, better food choices and active weight management.
March 23 is Diabetes Alert Day – a day devoted to raising awareness across the nation about diabetes and encouraging people to learn their risk of developing it. Knowing your risk for developing diabetes is a powerful way to stop this disease and the problems that can accompany it. The American Diabetes Association has an online test to help you determine your risk for diabetes. You can take the test at www.stopdiabetes.com.
The State Diabetes Prevention and Control Program and several local health departments plan to acknowledge Diabetes Alert Day with a variety of activities:
- The Davie County Health Department, in cooperation with the County Community College and County Employees and the Kinderton Community, is sponsoring a community presentation about diabetes prevention and management.
- The Robeson County Health Department plans to participate in a radio segment about diabetes and nutrition and to assess the risk of health department staff with a paper-based diabetes risk questionnaire.
- The Sampson County Health Department will be promoting Diabetes Alert Day with a Facebook post and by using the paper-based diabetes risk questionnaire.
- The State Diabetes Prevention and Control Program will help employees at the Six Forks Road location assess their risk for diabetes using the paper-based diabetes risk questionnaire.
Remember, that people with diabetes can live normal lives if they manage their condition. To learn more about diabetes management, please visit the American Diabetes Association’s website at www.diabetes.org or the Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation’s website at www.jdrf.org.
To learn more about Diabetes Alert Day and about efforts to prevent and control diabetes in our state, please visit our website, www.ncdiabetes.org.