Diabetes is a metabolic disease in which the body does not produce or properly use the hormone insulin. It is a costly disease.
One in seven health care dollars is spent on diabetes care in the United States. Diabetes accounts for 27 percent of this country’s entire Medicare budget.
Diabetes is the sixth leading cause of death in Tennessee. The state ranks second in the nation with persons diagnosed with diabetes.
Fifty of the 95 Tennessee counties are in Appalachia, a region where the complications and deaths due to diabetes are unusually high as compared to other regions.
In Tennessee, 9.1 percent of adults ages 45 to 64 have diabetes — the highest prevalence in the United States for this age group.
The 1996 Surgeon General’s Report on Physical Activity and Health points out that 60 percent of American adults are not regularly physically active. In fact, 25 percent of Americans are not active at all.
Fifty percent of American youths aged 12-21 years of age are not vigorously active on a regular basis.
Physical inactivity is a major reason why so many American adults and their children are overweight.
People who are inactive face a greater risk of type 2 diabetes. Studies show that at least 10 million Americans at high risk for type 2 diabetes would be able to reduce their level of risk by 58 percent through diet and exercise.
Those who achieved this reduction had engaged in walking and other moderate intensive exercises for 30 minutes each day and reduced their body weight loss by 5 to 7 percent — a 5 percent weight loss yielding a nearly 60 percent reduction in risk for diabetes.
It’s no secret that most Americans need to eat less and move more. For people with type 2 diabetes, an active lifestyle is especially important for staying healthy and controlling blood sugar levels.
“Regular physical activity has multiple, beneficial effects for people with diabetes,” according to Charles M. Clark Jr., M.D., chair of the National Diabetes Education Program (NDEP), a joint federal program of the National Institutes of Health (NIH) and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).
“Physical activity is important because it helps the body use insulin more efficiently, improves blood flow to the heart and muscles, lowers blood pressure and increases HDL (good) cholesterol.”
Clark encourages people to do things the way their grandparents did. “Walk or bike to the store, go dancing or walk the dog. You don’t have to exercise in a formal way — just move and have fun — everyday.”
How can people build physical activities into daily living? Get off the bus on or two stops early or park your car at the far end of the lot. Active chores count. Break your activities into 10- or 15-minute sessions. When people vacuum, work in the garden or wash the car, they’re moving and burning calories. If people spend their days sitting at a desk, they need to get up at least once every hour and walk briskly down the hall or up and down a flight of stairs. They’ll feel energized and burn calories.
11 Tips for Staying Active
For everyone
* Before beginning physical activity, ask your health care provider for guidance on exercising safely.
* Buy a comfortable pair of shoes that fit well.
* Check your feet everyday for cuts, blisters or swelling.
* Plan a time for physical activity, just like you would for eating and sleeping.
* If you haven’t been physically active, start slowly, and gradually build up to the 30 minutes a day recommended by the U.S. Surgeon General.
* Be aware of how your body responds to physical activity and if you feel faint or dizzy, talk to your health care provider.
* Stretching often is great for avoiding stiffness and feeling good.
* Set goals for yourself, be consistent and, most of all, have fun.
For type 2 diabetics
In addition to all of the above,
* Test your blood and urine before and after you exercise: Don’t exercise if your blood sugar is higher than 250 mg/dl or if there are ketones in your urine.
* If your blood sugar is below 120 mg/dl, eat a meal or snack before exercising and take a snack with you.
* Wear a medical identification bracelet or carry a card that says you have diabetes.Reference: National Diabetes Education Program
For more information on diabetes, visit the web site: www.etsu.edu/cpah/pubheal/projects/

— The following article is provided as part of the ETSU employee Diabetes Education Campaign organized by graduate MPH students in the Health Communication class. It is co-sponsored by the department of public health and the Well On the Way (WOW) Employee Wellness Program.

Author