LiveSmart: Do You Have Prediabetes? Take the Quiz, Take Control of Your Health

[This piece was written by Lynn Sutton, RD, CDE, supervisor of the Diabetes Education Program at St. Peter’s Diabetes & Endocrine Care.]

Diabetes is a common disease that is now epidemic. In fact, one out of three American adults has prediabetes, and most of them do not know it.

Having prediabetes means your blood glucose (sugar) level is higher than normal but not high enough to be diagnosed as diabetes. Without weight loss or moderate physical activity, many people with prediabetes can develop Type 2 diabetes within five years. Type 2 diabetes is a serious condition that can lead to health issues such as heart attack, stroke, blindness, or kidney failure.

But, how do you know if you have prediabetes? A good place to start is to take the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s (CDC) self-assessment quiz that can be found at http://www.sphp.com/dpp

If you scored a nine or greater on the quiz, or have previously been diagnosed with prediabetes by your physician, you are eligible to participate in a free diabetes prevention program sponsored by St. Peter’s Diabetes & Endocrine Care.

Our free, 16-week “PreventT2” lifestyle change program will help you make lasting changes to prevent Type 2 diabetes. The program offers:

• A CDC-approved curriculum
• The skills you need to lose weight, be more physically active, and manage stress
• A certified diabetes education/trained lifestyle coach to guide and encourage you
• Support from other participants with the same goals as you
• Follow-up meetings to help you maintain a healthy lifestyle

Programs are currently available at the following locations:

• Family Medical Group, 279 Troy Road (Route 4), Rensselaer – Wednesdays, 3 to 4 p.m.
• Capital Region Family Health Care, 2 Empire Drive Suite 100, Rensselaer – Wednesdays, 7:30 to 8:30 a.m.
• Troy Medical Group, Brunswick Plaza, 720 Hoosick Street, Troy – Wednesdays, 9:30 to 10:30 a.m.
• St. Peter’s Internal Medicine, 147 Hoosick Street, Troy – Thursdays, 2 to 3 pm
• Everett Wager Senior Center, 2 Roxborough Road, Cropseyville – Tuesdays, 1:30 – 2:30 p.m.

Diet and exercise with weight loss are proven preventive measures against the development of Type 2 diabetes. St. Peter’s Diabetes & Endocrine Care can help you on your journey to take control of your health!

To register online, visit http://www.sphp.com/dpp. For questions, contact Lynn Sutton at 518-471-3224 or email Lynn.Sutton@sphp.com.