Diabetes is More Than Just an Employee Issue
TOLEDO, Ohio - October 25, 2012 - According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, one in every three adults in the United States had pre-diabetes in 2010. Pre-diabetes is a condition that is determined by elevated blood glucose levels that without preventative measures, such as a change in diet or physical activity, could escalate to type 2 diabetes. Diabetes is the seventh leading cause of death in the United States and contributes to complications such as heart disease, stroke, kidney failure, blindness, nerve damage, and other health problems.
Type 2 diabetes is caused by the body’s inability to either produce enough insulin or the cells’ inability to effectively use insulin. Insulin is the hormone that allows cells to intake sugar. When glucose builds up in the blood instead of entering cells, health complications can occur.
The health outcomes of uncontrolled diabetes not only affect the individual employee, but co-workers and the company as well. During 2007, diabetes was estimated to cost $174 billion in the United States. According to the National Diabetes Education Program, individuals with type 2 diabetes who improved control of their blood sugars were more productive on the job, were employed longer, and lowered their absenteeism rate compared to those with poor control of their diabetes.
Despite the dangerous outcomes of diabetes, nearly a third of those with diabetes in the United States are unaware that their body ineffectively uses insulin.
Risk factors of type 2 diabetes include:
- Overweight or obesity
- 45 or older
- Parent or sibling with diabetes
- African American, Hispanic/Latino, American Indian, Asian American, or Pacific Islander ethnic background
- Physically active less than three times a week
- Having gestational diabetes when pregnant, or a baby weighing over 9 pounds at birth.
Symptoms of diabetes include:
- Frequent urination
- Unusual thirst
- Extreme hunger
- Extreme fatigue, irritability
- Frequent infections
- Blurred vision
- Slow healing cuts or bruises
- Tingling/numbness in hands/feet
However, individuals with type 2 diabetes can often have no symptoms.
November is American Diabetes Awareness Month promoted by the American Diabetes Association which funds diabetes research and delivers credible information regarding diabetes.
What can you do as an employer to prevent type 2 diabetes or its complications among your employees?
The best way to decrease risks of type 2 diabetes is to improve nutrition and physical activity. Lunch-and-Learn seminars focused on nutritional guidelines or physical activity tracking are great opportunities to influence the health among your employees. A Health Risk Assessment provided by your carrier or other wellness vendors can provide early detection of pre-diabetes or type 2 diabetes, thereby decreasing future complications, absenteeism, and health care costs.
Diabetesatwork.org is an online tool for business professionals to find more information about preventing diabetes and its complications through programming in the workplace.
In honor of American Diabetes Awareness month, encourage employees to complete the online Diabetes Risk Test at www.diabetes.org/diabetes-basics/prevention/diabetes-risk-test.
Promote health and wellness opportunities to increase your productivity and decrease healthcare costs by preventing type 2 diabetes.
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If you have any questions on how your company can keep tackle the issue of diabetes at your workplace, please contact Jerid Baxter, Health & Wellness Strategies Practice Leader, or your Hylant representative.
