Diabetes Management & Prevention
Diabetes Management
Diabetes is a chronic (long-lasting) disease that affects how your body turns food into energy. There are three main types of diabetes: type 1, type 2, and gestational diabetes (diabetes while pregnant). If you have diabetes, your body either doesn’t make enough insulin or can’t use the insulin it makes as well as it should. When there isn’t enough insulin or cells stop responding to insulin, too much blood sugar stays in your bloodstream. Over time, that can cause serious health problems, such as heart disease, vision loss, and kidney disease. There isn’t a cure yet for diabetes, but there are lifestyle practices that can make a big difference. Eating healthy foods, being active, taking medicine as needed, getting Diabetes Self-Management Education and Support (DSMES), and keeping health care appointments can help reduce the impact of diabetes on your life. In addition to DSME, Living Well with Diabetes is an alternative diabetes management program that teaches participants skills to manage their diabetes and other chronic conditions. At the bottom of this page we highlight the various diabetes-related programs and their similarities and differences.
For more information on the types of diabetes, risk factors, symptoms, and other helpful information about diabetes, please visit the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s website.
The U.S. Diabetes Surveillance System overlays diabetes data with 15 social vulnerability variables to give a more complete look at factors potentially impacting people's ability to successfully manage diabetes and prevent type 2 diabetes around the U.S. To view the U.S. Diabetes Surveillance System, please click here.
Diabetes Prevention (Prediabetes)
Prediabetes is when a person’s blood sugar is higher than normal but not high enough to be diagnosed as diabetes. Prediabetes is a serious health condition and can put a person at risk of developing other chronic health conditions, including type 2 diabetes, heart disease, and stroke. If you would like to learn more about prediabetes, please visit the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s website.
Are you at risk of developing type 2 diabetes?
Find out your risk in one minute by taking the Do I have Prediabetes risk assessment?
Did you score a five or higher on the risk assessment? The good news is prediabetes can be reversed. The National Diabetes Prevention Program is an evidence-based, CDC-recognized lifestyle change program that helps individuals set goals to prevent or delay the onset of type 2 diabetes. Learn more about the National DPP here.
Utah Insulin Savings Program
The Utah Insulin Savings Program offers discounted insulin rates to Utah residents. To learn more about the Utah Insulin Savings Program or to apply, visit Utahinsulin.net .
There are additional diabetes medication and insulin cost savings programs available in Utah that can help you and your family. Please visit the Insulin Cost Resources website for more information and a compiled list of resources. You can view the site in Spanish here.
Chronic Kidney Disease
Individuals who have diabetes and high blood pressure are at a higher risk of having chronic kidney disease (CKD). If someone has CKD, their kidneys are not able to filter out toxins and waste from their blood. High blood sugar can slowly damage the kidneys and high blood pressure puts more pressure on the heart, making it harder for the blood to get to the kidneys.
Risk factors for high blood pressure, diabetes, obesity, and kidney disease are similar. Some things that you can do to reduce your risk for CKD are:
- Be physically active
- Choose healthy foods and drinks to fuel your body
- Quit smoking
- Find out what your risk for diabetes is by taking this one minute prediabetes risk test. If your score is high, talk to your doctor about participating in the National Diabetes Prevention Program
- Check your blood pressure on a regular basis and talk to your doctor if your blood pressure is in an elevated range
- Get an annual check-up and talk to your doctor about screening for CKD. To learn how to understand your test results go HERE.
