Here’s a simple thing you can do to help improve the health of your work force: promote and encourage your employees to take the online Diabetes Risk Test on March 25. It’s a simple thing to do, and you might save some lives. Why not encourage this in your next newsletter or intranet communication? The American Diabetes Association offers a full range of promotional materials in English and Spanish that you can use.
Nearly 21 million Americans have diabetes, but about one-third of them are unaware that they have diabetes. And about 54 million are estimated to be prediabetic. One in five Americans is at risk for developing type 2 diabetes.
On Diabetes Alert Day, the American Diabetes Association urges the over 60 million Americans who are unaware they have diabetes or who are at risk for developing type 2 diabetes to take the Diabetes Risk Test, a imple seven simple question self-assessment about weight, age, lifestyle and family history — all potential risk factors for diabetes. People scoring 10 points or more are at a high risk for type 2 diabetes and are encouraged to see a health care professional
Among the primary risk factors for type 2 diabetes are being overweight, sedentary, over the age of 45 and having a family history of diabetes. African Americans, Latinos, Native Americans, Asians and Pacific Islanders are at an increased risk, as are women who have had babies weighing more than nine pounds at birth.
The American Diabetes Association offers a diabetes cost calculator by state, and offers the following national cost assessment:
The national cost of diabetes in the U.S. in 2007 exceeds $174 billion. This estimate includes $116 billion in excess medical expenditures attributed to diabetes, as well as $58 billion in reduced national productivity. People with diagnosed diabetes, on average, have medical expenditures that are approximately 2.3 times higher than the expenditures would be in the absence of diabetes. Approximately $1 in $10 health care dollars is attributed to diabetes. Indirect costs include increased factors such as absenteeism, reduced productivity, and lost productive capacity due to early mortality. For another resource, see Diabetes at Work. The site offers a range of business-specific tools and resources to help you estimate the prevalence of diabetes in your organization and develop a diabetes prevention or management program. It includes some case studies of companies that have had successful efforts.