On November 2nd, 1982, then President Ronald Reagan issued an official proclamation that November would be National Diabetes Awareness Month. During this time, diabetes research and education was at an all-time high due to the development of insulin made of recombinant DNA and the availability of at-home products that enabled people to test and monitor their own blood glucose.
Much of the global increase of diabetes today has been attributed to the increased cost/lack of access to healthy foods and increased prevalence of obesity and declining physical exercise rates. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, in 2021, an estimated 38.4 million people in the United States had diabetes, comprising 11.6% of the population. Of these Americans with diabetes, 38.1 million were age 18 years or older, and 8.7 million of them were unaware of or did not report having diabetes despite meeting the diagnostic criteria.1
Education on symptoms and prevention of this disease remains an important health topic. Check out these library resources on preventing and managing diabetes with diet, exercise, and medical support. Don't forget to also check our list of online health and medicine resources like the Consumer Health Complete and Medline databases.
Resources:
- National Diabetes Statistics Report. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. https://www.cdc.gov/diabetes/php/data-research/index.html, opens a new window. Updated May 15, 2024. November 21, 2024.
November is National Diabetes Month, focused on education, awareness, and ways you can take action to prevent diabetes and manage this chronic condition.
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