These questions will give you an indication if you are at risk for diabetes and will help you decide if you should be tested for diabetes.

Questions to determine your risk

Check the following questions that are true for you:

  1. My blood pressure is 140/90 or higher, or I’ve been told that I have high blood pressure (hypertension)
  2. I’ve been told that my cholesterol levels are not normal
  3. I’m overweight (BMI more than 25) (see below to find out how to determine your BMI)
  4. I’m fairly inactive. I do not exercise more often than two times a week
  5. I have or had a parent with diabetes
  6. I have or had a brother or sister with diabetes
  7. I had diabetes during pregnancy (gestational diabetes)
  8. I gave birth to a baby weighing more than 4.1 kg
  9. I’m 45 years of age or older

 

Results

If you’ve checked two or more of the boxes above, you are at risk for pre-diabetes or diabetes. It does not mean that you have diabetes, but it means that further tests need to be done to determine this. Therefore, please see a health professional as soon as possible and take this assessment along.

Why are these questions included in the risk assessment?

Did you know that people with diagnosed hypertension are 2.5 times more likely to develop type 2 diabetes than people with normal blood pressure? People often suffer from both diabetes and high blood pressure, that is, many people with undiagnosed type 2 diabetes also have high blood pressure. Good control of blood pressure can have a significant influence on the risk of developing complications and can slow the progression of type 2 diabetes.

Likewise, high cholesterol is associated with diabetes. People with insulin resistance often have elevated cholesterol levels.

As your body shape and size can affect your risk for diabetes, control of your weight is important for reducing the likelihood of developing type 2 diabetes. Being physically active lowers blood glucose levels and may help you to improve your heart and lung function, reduce the risk of serious complications, control your weight, relieve tension and stress and reduce the amount of diabetes medication you may need.

People are at a greater risk of diabetes if a parent or a sibling have or had diabetes, as heredity plays a role. A first degree relative with diabetes doubles a person’s risk for developing type 2 diabetes.

Women with a history of diabetes during pregnancy have a 40 to 60% chance of developing type 2 diabetes within five to ten years of the birth. Giving birth to a large baby is also a risk factor for developing type 2 diabetes.

As you get older, your risk of developing diabetes increases.

How to determine your body mass index (BMI)

Step 1: Measure your height and then multiple your height by itself. For example, if your height is 1.57 meters, then multiply it by 1.57. The result: 1.57 X 1.57 = 2.46.

Step 2: Weigh yourself to find your weight. Now divide your weight by the number calculated in Step 1. For example, if you weigh 65 kg then divide 65 by 2.46. The result: is 26.4.

If your BMI is below 18.5, you are considered underweight; if it is between 18.5 and 24.9, it is normal; if between 25 and 29.9 you are overweight and if 30 and above, you are obese.

 

Sources

www.diabetescare.net
http://diabetes.about.com
http://icanpreventdiabetes.org