Throughout November, the Tennessee Department of Health is recognizing National Diabetes Awareness Month. This year the campaign looks to educate individuals on ways to reverse pre-diabetes and prevent or delay the onset of diabetes through healthy lifestyle changes.
Pre-diabetes is a health condition where a person’s blood sugar levels are elevated, increasing their risk of developing Type 2 diabetes (T2D). In 2020 14.1 percent of adults in Tennessee had been told by a doctor that they have diabetes, while in 2019, 9.9 percent of adults report being told they had pre-diabetes. Since many people with pre-diabetes are unaware of their diagnosis, the percentage of Tennesseans with pre-diabetes is likely much higher. For individuals at risk, making lifestyle changes can help reverse or prevent pre-diabetes and T2D.
“Pre-diabetes or diabetes is often an undetected disease that impacts Tennesseans every year,” said Tennessee Department of Health Deputy Commissioner for Population Health Morgan McDonald, MD, FAAP, FACP. “This month, we encourage Tennesseans to take the time to determine their risk factors for diabetes. Diabetes is a disease that can be controlled, and we know that when it is not, individuals are at risk for complications from diabetes but also at higher risk for serious illness from other viruses and diseases.”
To find out if you are at risk for pre-diabetes, you can take a simple risk test to determine if you should take action. Visit https://www.cdc.gov/diabetes/takethetest/ to take a one-minute Prediabetes Risk Test.
TDH provides resources and information for diabetes programming, including Diabetes Prevention Program, Chronic Disease Self-Management, and Diabetes Self-Management Education and Support (DSMES). To learn more about these programs and to find an option in your community, visit CDC Recognized Lifestyle Change Program for providers near you.