This was in an email newsletter from the American Optometric Association. If one of Lions International's goals is to increase awareness of diabetes and the seriousness of it's complications, we've got our work cut out for us.
HealthDay (10/28, Doheny) reported, "While millions of Americans are at risk for developing diabetes, too few perceive the threat it can pose to their health, according to a new survey" commissioned by the American Diabetes Association (ADA). Investigators polled "more than 2,400 U.S. adults," and found that 49 percent "they most feared cancer as a potential health problem," but "just three percent said they worried about diabetes." Yet, "each disease has about the same number of expected new cases each year, more than a million annually." The ADA noted that "overall, one in 10 U.S. adults, or 10 percent, have been diagnosed with diabetes at some point in their lives, compared to six percent who have experienced cancer." The survey also revealed that "after cancer, respondents next feared heart disease, mentioned by 12 percent, and nervous system disorders, noted by 11 percent."
WebMD (10/28, Colihan) quoted Ann Albright, Ph.D., of the ADA, as saying, "Unfortunately, people don't seem to take diabetes seriously, and they don't seem to realize that diabetes -- if left untreated or poorly treated -- can be a very scary disease." She added, "We don't like to unnecessarily scare people, but the findings from this survey are alarming because diabetes is more deadly than these other fears, and Americans are more likely to have a personal experience with diabetes than shark attacks or snake bites."
No comments:
Post a Comment