Diabetes is one of the leading causes of disability and death in the United States. It can cause blindness, nerve damage, kidney disease, and other health problems if it’s not controlled.
One in 10 Americans have diabetes — that’s more than 30 million people. And another 84 million adults in the United States are at high risk of developing type 2 diabetes.
The good news? People who are at high risk for type 2 diabetes can lower their risk by more than half if they make healthy changes, like eating healthy, getting more physical activity, and losing weight.
American Diabetes Month is a great time to raise awareness about diabetes risk factors and encourage people to make healthy changes.
With this and other National Health Observance toolkits offered on MyHealthfinder, we’ve made it easier for you to make a difference. The toolkits provide resources for organizations like schools, health care providers, health departments, and more to raise awareness about critical public health issues, like the importance of preventing diabetes.
This toolkit is full of ideas to help you take action today. For example:
- Add this Web badge to your website.
- Add information about preventing type 2 diabetes to your newsletter.
- Tweet about American Diabetes Month.
- Host a community event where families can be active while learning about local health resources.
- Join the American Diabetes Association in celebrating American Diabetes Month.
By raising awareness about diabetes, communities, organizations, and health professionals can work together to help people make healthy changes and lower their risk of diabetes.