Communities around the U.S. observe National Diabetes Month each November to spread awareness and education about the disease and how it impacts Americans.
An estimated 9.4 percent of the U.S. population had diabetes in 2015. This total included 30.2 million adults aged 18 years or older, of which 7.2 million were not aware or did not report having diabetes, according to the Center for Disease Control and Prevention.
Diabetes is an incurable, chronic disease that affects how the body turns food into energy. Without management, it can lead to health issues like heart disease, vision loss and kidney disease.
“Diabetes affects so many people, yet it’s still such a mystery to people unless it directly affects their life,” said Mackenzie Lynch, an Oswego student and Type 1 diabetic. “National Diabetes Month is an easy way to start the conversation.”
There are three types of diabetes: Type 1, Type 2 and gestational diabetes. Type 1 prevents one’s body from producing insulin, a hormone in the pancreas that allows blood sugar into the body’s cells to be used as energy. It is normally diagnosed at an early age, and there is no known way to prevent the disease. Someone with Type 1 must take insulin every day.
“I’m so used to it now, but when I was first diagnosed, it took a lot of getting used to,” said Jessica Kisluk, a junior and Type 1 diabetic. “I have to make sure I test my blood when I wake up, when I go to bed, before I eat and when I feel like my blood sugar is too high or too low.”
Type 2 causes one’s body to not use insulin well and be unable to regulate blood sugar at a normal level. Those with Type 2 make up 90 percent of people with diabetes and is typically diagnosed during adult years. It can be prevented or delayed with healthy lifestyles. Gestational diabetes appears in pregnant women who have never had diabetes before.
Amy Bidwell, assistant professor in the department of health promotion and wellness, is a nationally certified YMCA diabetes educator. Bidwell focuses on educating her students on diabetes in some of the upper-division level courses she instructs.
“Diabetes will be something that a future wellness educator will be dealing with on a daily basis. Therefore, it is important for our students to have a significant grasp on the disease and how it impacts the dimensions of wellness,” Bidwell said.
Bidwell said she does not believe diabetes is discussed enough on campus because when she instructed her students to go around campus and randomly survey other students, they found that about 75 percent of around 150 people did not know how to prevent Type 2 diabetes or how detrimental it is for a person to have.
“I don’t think there is enough education done on campus on diabetes. I’m in my third year here, and I’ve barely seen anyone talking about diabetes or National Diabetes Month,” Lynch said.
Michelle Sloan, health promotion coordinator at the Lifestyles Center in Mary Walker Health Center, said the Lifestyles Center Peer Educators do not educate students on diabetes as part of their four main focused topics of alcohol, tobacco and other drugs, sexual health, violence prevention, and general wellness.
“I know Walker Health Center will work with diabetic students, as will the campus dietitian, but I do not know of any groups that will openly educate the student body on the topic,” Sloan said.
Bidwell currently offers an on-campus program called BOUNCE, which focuses on nutrition, physical activity and stress management.
“The participants are taught how their habits now may impact their disease progression later, regardless of weight,” Bidwell said. “A significant amount of time is spent on diabetes and cardiovascular disease. I would love to see every student on campus have to take this class at some point.”
Photo: Alan Levine via flickr
