Are Your Employees At Risk for Diabetes?

Today is National Diabetes Alert Day, and we’re urging all of our readers to have their employees’ blood glucose levels tested. According to the American Diabetes Association, approximately seven million people currently have diabetes and aren’t aware of it.  An additional 79 million Americans (1 in 3 adults) have prediabetes and are at a higher risk. Where do your employees fit in?

Utilizing Kaiser Family Foundation data, the American Diabetes Association’s workplace cost calculator approximates that for a company with 1,000 employees:

• 100 of them have diabetes
• 27 employees are undiagnosed
• 250 have prediabetes
• $2.7 million is the average annual insurance cost for employees with diabetes and prediabetes
• $912,438 is the annual increased cost if 50 percent of the employees with prediabetes develop diabetes

Are your employees at risk? Here are just a few factors that can increase your employees’ risk for type 2 diabetes:

• Over the age of 45
• Overweight or obese
• Have a parent or sibling with diabetes
• A family background that is African American, American Indian, Alaska Native, Asian American, Hispanic/Latino or Pacific Islander American
• Gave birth to a baby weighing over 9 lbs.
• High blood pressure
• High cholesterol
• Fairly inactive
• A history of cardiovascular disease
• Untreated sleep problems

The best way to determine your employees’ risk for diabetes (or if they are already diabetic) is to hold a biometric screening. It will allow you to determine your staff’s blood pressure, glucose and cholesterol levels and give you the opportunity to change your employees’ health habits before they develop diabetes. 

Because type 2 diabetes can be prevented, it’s incredibly important that you use the information gathered from a biometric screening to promote ways to reduce their risk. Increasing physical activity (even for little or no cost), providing wise food choices, encouraging staff members to reach and maintain a reasonable body weight, and providing information about blood pressure or cholesterol medication are all excellent ways to make your employees healthier.

Do your employees exhibit risk factors for diabetes? Comment below with your thoughts.