CHICAGO — On Diabetes Alert Day, the American Medical Association (AMA) is calling on all Americans to find out whether they are at risk for developing type 2 diabetes. With 84 million people in the U.S. living with prediabetes — the precursor to type 2 diabetes — and 90 percent unaware they have it, the AMA is urging patients to take action today to take a one-minute online prediabetes risk at DoIHavePrediabetes.org.
“Diabetes Alert Day is the perfect time to give our patients the wake-up call they need to take their health into their own hands and determine whether they have prediabetes — a serious health condition that often leads to type 2 diabetes and other significant health conditions like blindness, heart attack or stroke,” said AMA President David O. Barbe, M.D. “After taking the short online risk test, we encourage anyone who learns they may be at risk for prediabetes to talk with their physician to confirm their diagnosis and find out about lifestyle changes that will help them prevent type 2 diabetes and other negative health consequences.”
In addition to the prediabetes risk test, more resources and information on prediabetes for patients can be found at DoIHavePrediabetes.org — a website which was developed as part of a first-of-its-kind joint national prediabetes awareness campaign launched in 2016 by the AMA, Ad Council, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and American Diabetes Association. Over the past two years, the campaign has helped hundreds of thousands of Americans learn their risk of developing type 2 diabetes, particularly through a series of public service announcements that have aired on television and radio stations across the country encouraging viewers to take the one-minute online risk test.
While prediabetes has serious health implications, people who are at risk can take steps to reverse the condition and prevent or delay type 2 diabetes through lifestyle changes like weight loss, healthy eating, and increased physical activity. The campaign website also features lifestyle tips and links to CDC’s National Diabetes Prevention Program, which connects visitors to a registry of CDC-recognized programs across the country.
As part of its ongoing efforts to improve the health of the nation, the AMA will continue to forge new collaborations and support policies aimed at reducing the incidence of type 2 diabetes and the staggering burden associated with this public health epidemic.
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About the American Medical Association
The American Medical Association is the physicians’ powerful ally in patient care. As the only medical association that convenes 190+ state and specialty medical societies and other critical stakeholders, the AMA represents physicians with a unified voice to all key players in health care. The AMA leverages its strength by removing the obstacles that interfere with patient care, leading the charge to prevent chronic disease and confront public health crises and, driving the future of medicine to tackle the biggest challenges in health care.
