Reducing Diabetes Risk: Steps Based on Identifiable Risk Factors

Take a look at the following risk factors below.

1. Discuss your risk and what steps you can take to reduce your risk.
2. Even if you’re not at risk, discuss how to reduce your risk.
3. Use your textbook as a reference (see Table 11.5). Don’t write about what you’ve been told or what you believe.
4. Text message writing <2 points>

• I am 45 or older.
• I am overweight.
• I have a parent, brother, or sister with diabetes.
• My family background is Alaska Native, American Indian, African American, Hispanic/Latino American, Asian American, or Pacific Islander.
• I have had gestational diabetes, or I gave birth to at least one baby weighing more than 9 pounds.
• My blood pressure is 140/90 mm Hg or higher, or I have been told that I have high blood pressure.
• My cholesterol levels are not normal. My HDL cholesterol (“good” cholesterol) is below 35 mg/dL or my triglyceride level is above 250 mg/dL.
• I am fairly inactive. I exercise fewer than three times per week.
• I have polycystic ovary syndrome (women only).
• On previous testing, I had impaired glucose tolerance (IGT) or impaired fasting glucose (IFG).
• I have other clinical conditions associated with insulin resistance (acanthosis nigricans).
• I have a history of cardiovascular disease.

The more items you checked, the higher your risk.

Anyone 45 years old or older should consider getting tested for diabetes. If you are 45 or older and overweight, getting tested is strongly recommended. If you are younger than 45, are overweight, and have one or more of the risk factors above, you should consider testing. Ask your doctor for a fasting blood glucose test or an oral glucose tolerance test. Your doctor will tell you if you have normal blood glucose, prediabetes, or diabetes.

Source: Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). Women at High Risk for Diabetes: Physical Activity, Healthy Eating, and Weight Loss.Links to an external site.