Nurse Practitioners Association Says Risk for Diabetes Starts with Family History
Many people diagnosed with type 2 diabetes have one or more family members with the disease, so it’s important to know your family’s diabetes health history, and to share that with your primary healthcare provider.
Oceanside, NY, December 01, 2010 --(PR.com)-- Awareness of your family’s health history is vital to preventing or tempering life-threatening diseases such as diabetes.
Many people diagnosed with type 2 diabetes have one or more family members with the disease, so it’s important to know your family’s diabetes health history, and to share that with your primary healthcare provider. The Nurse Practitioner Association of Long Island (NPALI) in collaboration with the National Diabetes Education Program (NDEP) advises that the good news is that people with a family history of diabetes can take steps now to prevent or delay the onset of the disease.
“Family history can’t be changed, but knowing about it can help you work with your health care team to take action on the things you can change,” said Mary Beth Petraco, Pediatric Nurse Practitioner, of NPALI.
“We encourage everyone to talk with their family members to find out if any close relatives, such as a mother, father, brother or sister, have had diabetes. If any of the women in your family had gestational diabetes while pregnant, she is also at increased risk for diabetes in the future, and so is her child from that pregnancy.”
Approximately 24 million Americans have diabetes and an estimated one-third of the people with diabetes don’t know that they have the disease. Individuals with undiagnosed diabetes may experience damage to the heart, eyes, kidneys, and limbs – without producing any symptoms. It is estimated that another 57 million adults in the U.S. have pre-diabetes, placing them at increased risk for developing type 2 diabetes.
Nurse practitioners across Long Island along with the NDEP urge everyone to explore their family health history and make a family plan to prevent or delay the onset of type 2 diabetes. This includes:
1. Make a healthy eating plan for the whole family. The plan should feature a diet of colorful fruits and vegetables, whole grains; fat-free or low-fat milk and milk products; lean meats, poultry without the skin, fish, beans, eggs, and nuts, and foods low in saturated fats, trans fats, cholesterol, salt (sodium), and added sugars.
2. Get moving. Make physical activity a family affair. Go for a walk and/or play soccer, basketball, or tag with your children. Try swimming, biking, hiking, jogging, or any activity that you enjoy. Vary your activities so you don’t get bored.
3. Watch your weight. Studies show that losing just 7 percent of your body weight can lower your risk of getting type 2 diabetes. If you weigh 200 pounds, 7 percent of your body weight is 14 pounds. Try keeping a diary that tracks weight, calories and grams of fat in food and minutes of physical activity.
4. Get blood pressure and cholesterol checked. Starting at age 18, blood pressure should be checked at least once every 2 years. It’s important to have blood pressure checked often, especially after 40 years old. Most men need their cholesterol checked at least once every 5 years. Women at risk for heart disease need their cholesterol checked every 5 years, as well.
To learn more about family health history and preventing type 2 diabetes, check out NDEP’s risk tests in English and Spanish. Call 1-888-693-NDEP (6337); TTY: 1-866-569-1162. Ask for Your GAME PLAN to Prevent Type 2 Diabetes, a tip sheet called It’s Never Too Early to Prevent Diabetes, and a tip sheet for children at risk called Lower Your Risk for Type 2 Diabetes, in English or Spanish.
Based in Hauppauge, NY, the Nurse Practitioner Association of Long Island (NPALI) is a chapter of the Nurse Practitioner Association of New York State. NPALI was formed in 1980, and works in concert with the state organization for the purpose of uniting, representing, and advocating for the profession.
Nurse practitioners (NPs) are registered nurses who are prepared, through advanced education and clinical training, to provide a wide range of preventive and acute health care services to individuals of all ages. NPs complete graduate-level education preparation that leads to a master’s degree. NPs take health histories and provide complete physical examinations; diagnose and treat many common acute and chronic problems; interpret laboratory results and X-rays; prescribe and manage medications and other therapies; provide health teaching and supportive counseling with an emphasis on prevention of illness and health maintenance; and refer patients to other health professionals as needed. NPs are authorized to practice across the nation and have prescriptive privileges, of varying degrees, in 49 states. The most recent Health Resources and Services Administration Sample Survey report (2008) shows 158,348 Nurse Practitioners in the United States, an increase of more than 12 percent over 2004 data. The actual number of nurse practitioners in 2006 is estimated to be at least 145,000.
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Many people diagnosed with type 2 diabetes have one or more family members with the disease, so it’s important to know your family’s diabetes health history, and to share that with your primary healthcare provider. The Nurse Practitioner Association of Long Island (NPALI) in collaboration with the National Diabetes Education Program (NDEP) advises that the good news is that people with a family history of diabetes can take steps now to prevent or delay the onset of the disease.
“Family history can’t be changed, but knowing about it can help you work with your health care team to take action on the things you can change,” said Mary Beth Petraco, Pediatric Nurse Practitioner, of NPALI.
“We encourage everyone to talk with their family members to find out if any close relatives, such as a mother, father, brother or sister, have had diabetes. If any of the women in your family had gestational diabetes while pregnant, she is also at increased risk for diabetes in the future, and so is her child from that pregnancy.”
Approximately 24 million Americans have diabetes and an estimated one-third of the people with diabetes don’t know that they have the disease. Individuals with undiagnosed diabetes may experience damage to the heart, eyes, kidneys, and limbs – without producing any symptoms. It is estimated that another 57 million adults in the U.S. have pre-diabetes, placing them at increased risk for developing type 2 diabetes.
Nurse practitioners across Long Island along with the NDEP urge everyone to explore their family health history and make a family plan to prevent or delay the onset of type 2 diabetes. This includes:
1. Make a healthy eating plan for the whole family. The plan should feature a diet of colorful fruits and vegetables, whole grains; fat-free or low-fat milk and milk products; lean meats, poultry without the skin, fish, beans, eggs, and nuts, and foods low in saturated fats, trans fats, cholesterol, salt (sodium), and added sugars.
2. Get moving. Make physical activity a family affair. Go for a walk and/or play soccer, basketball, or tag with your children. Try swimming, biking, hiking, jogging, or any activity that you enjoy. Vary your activities so you don’t get bored.
3. Watch your weight. Studies show that losing just 7 percent of your body weight can lower your risk of getting type 2 diabetes. If you weigh 200 pounds, 7 percent of your body weight is 14 pounds. Try keeping a diary that tracks weight, calories and grams of fat in food and minutes of physical activity.
4. Get blood pressure and cholesterol checked. Starting at age 18, blood pressure should be checked at least once every 2 years. It’s important to have blood pressure checked often, especially after 40 years old. Most men need their cholesterol checked at least once every 5 years. Women at risk for heart disease need their cholesterol checked every 5 years, as well.
To learn more about family health history and preventing type 2 diabetes, check out NDEP’s risk tests in English and Spanish. Call 1-888-693-NDEP (6337); TTY: 1-866-569-1162. Ask for Your GAME PLAN to Prevent Type 2 Diabetes, a tip sheet called It’s Never Too Early to Prevent Diabetes, and a tip sheet for children at risk called Lower Your Risk for Type 2 Diabetes, in English or Spanish.
Based in Hauppauge, NY, the Nurse Practitioner Association of Long Island (NPALI) is a chapter of the Nurse Practitioner Association of New York State. NPALI was formed in 1980, and works in concert with the state organization for the purpose of uniting, representing, and advocating for the profession.
Nurse practitioners (NPs) are registered nurses who are prepared, through advanced education and clinical training, to provide a wide range of preventive and acute health care services to individuals of all ages. NPs complete graduate-level education preparation that leads to a master’s degree. NPs take health histories and provide complete physical examinations; diagnose and treat many common acute and chronic problems; interpret laboratory results and X-rays; prescribe and manage medications and other therapies; provide health teaching and supportive counseling with an emphasis on prevention of illness and health maintenance; and refer patients to other health professionals as needed. NPs are authorized to practice across the nation and have prescriptive privileges, of varying degrees, in 49 states. The most recent Health Resources and Services Administration Sample Survey report (2008) shows 158,348 Nurse Practitioners in the United States, an increase of more than 12 percent over 2004 data. The actual number of nurse practitioners in 2006 is estimated to be at least 145,000.
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Contact
Nurse Practitioners Association of Long Island
Damian Becker
516-603-1779
http://www.enpnetwork.com/groups/62-npa-long-island-chapter
Damian Becker
516-603-1779
http://www.enpnetwork.com/groups/62-npa-long-island-chapter
Contact
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