Are you at risk for diabetes? Diabetes mellitus has become a global epidemic, but not everyone is aware that they are likely to suffer from the disease until it is too late.
Prediabetes is a condition characterized by an above normal blood glucose or sugar level but less than that of the range of type 2 diabetes. It likely ends with type 2 diabetes; thus, basically putting an end to it is essential.
Now, four big health agencies, namely, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the American Diabetes Association, the Ad Council and the American Medical Association, joined forces to raise awareness against prediabetes by rolling out the prime national public service advertising campaign. The new video that features a 1-minute quiz prompts people with a few questions so they could find out if they are at risk for the disease.
In one of the TV ads of the government-backed campaign, a doctor tells viewers to count with their hands and raise one finger every time they answer "yes" to one of the seven questions, such as Are you over 60? Are you overweight? Does type 2 diabetes run in your family? After the video, if more than five fingers were held up, viewers or participants should immediately visit their primary physicians for some prediabetes assessment.
According to Ann Albright, director of the CDC Diabetes Translation, more than one in every three Americans (only 10 percent of the 86 million people) is aware that they are suffering from diabetes. What's more, within 5 years, between 15 and 30 percent of unmanaged prediabetes ends up with type 2 diabetes, thereby also increasing their susceptibility to cardiovascular diseases. Nevertheless, the good news is: prediabetes is reversible with lifestyle changes.
According to the agencies, the campaign was humorous on purpose to make it lighter and to easily catch people's attention, especially it targets people between 40 and 60 years old. Anyone can take the prediabetes quiz online or by texting "RISK" to 9777.
