APR2006.01
April 7, 2006
FOR IMMEDIATE USE BY KENTUCKY COOPERATIVE EXTENSION’S COUNTY AGENTS
TIME SENSITIVE: For use through April 30, 2006 ONLY!
CONTACT:
UK Cooperative Extension HEEL Program
Lisa Hart, Pharm.D, BCPS,Extension Specialist for Pharmacy
859-257-2968 or
This following information release was adapted from the April 2006 Health Bulletin for Adults. Please use the health bulletin as a resource for this information release. The April 2006 Health Bulletins for Adults and Youth can be found at under ‘Educational Resources’.
Diabetes in Kentucky
Kentucky ranks 7th among the states for having the most people with diabetes. One in eight Kentuckians has either been told they have diabetes or currently has diabetes and does not realize it.
Diabetes is a very serious condition in which the blood glucose (sugar) levels are too high. As a result, the body does not use or produce insulin as it should. Produced by the pancreas, insulin is a hormone that is needed to change the sugar in certain foods into energy for the body.
The most common form of diabetes in adults is called type 2 diabetes. Risk factors that increase the chances of a person developing type 2 diabetes include family history, pre-diabetes, overweight/obesity, lack of physical activity, being 45 or older, a history of gestational diabetes or having a baby that weighs more than nine pounds at birth, high blood pressure, cholesterol levels, and vascular disease. African Americans, American Indians, and Hispanics are at a high risk for type 2 diabetes and are disproportionately affected by the disease.
While some people with type 2 diabetes do not have any symptoms, the most common signs and symptoms include frequent urination, unusual thirst, being extremely tired and/or hungry, unexplained weight loss, blurred vision, tingling or numbness in the feet, and slow healing sores.
Losing 5 to 7 percent of body weight, through healthy eating and getting 30 minutes of physical activity five days a week, can prevent or delay the onset of this chronic disease.
For those already diagnosed with diabetes, controlling diabetes can slow or halt complications. Ways to control type 2 diabetes include learning the ABC’s of diabetes control. A is for A1C testing for blood glucose (blood sugar), B is for blood pressure, and C is for cholesterol.Additional ways to control the disease include working together with your health care provider, following a healthy eating plan, and staying physically active with moderate exercise – 30 minutes a day, 5 days a week.
All Kentuckians can help reverse the negative trend that diabetes is having on our state by making better choices about the kinds of foods we eat, the amount of exercise we get and the way we live our lives. Diabetes prevention is proven, powerful and possible!
In (Your County’s Name) County, contact the (Your County’s Name) CountyExtension office at (Office Phone Number) for more information about (List programs being offered in your county such as health education, physical activity and nutrition)programs offered by the Cooperative Extension Service.
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Sources:
The American Diabetes Association
Kentucky Diabetes Prevention and Control Program
National Diabetes Education Program
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. National diabetes fact sheet: general information and national estimates on diabetes in the United States, 2003.
NationalCenter for Health Statistics. Health, United States, 2003. 2003.
Educational programs of Kentucky Cooperative Extension serve all people regardless of race, color, age, sex, religion, disability, or national origin.
The development of the HEEL program was made possible by Senator Mitch McConnell with funds earmarked for the University of Kentucky, College of Agriculture, Lexington, KY and budgeted through the CSREES/USDA Federal Administration.
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