About 6 percent of New Hampshire adults have blood glucose levels that are higher than normal, putting them at risk of developing diabetes.
The New Hampshire Department of Health and Human Services analyzed results from an annual telephone survey, the New Hampshire Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System, and found that nearly 60,000 adults had been told they had prediabetes, which is roughly 6 percent of New Hampshire adults.
Prediabetes is defined as having a blood sugar level higher than normal but not high enough to be diagnosed as diabetes. Having prediabetes is a risk factor for developing type 2 diabetes.
According to the survey, prediabetes was twice as common in overweight adults and more common among older adults in New Hampshire. Prevalence of prediabetes was 50 percent higher in nonwhites than in whites, higher among persons with the lowest household incomes, and higher among adults who reported more days of poor mental health each month.
“Many people with prediabetes are not aware they have it,” said Marcella Bobinsky, acting director of public health at DHHS, “and in the United States, more than 1 in 3 adults do.”
Other risk factors for diabetes include being overweight, having a family member with diabetes, being African American, American Indian, Asian American, Pacific Islander or Hispanic American/Latino heritage, being physically inactive, and having high blood pressure or high cholesterol.
Diabetes can lead to serious health problems such as heart disease and stroke.
HHS said research shows two things can help prevent or delay type 2 diabetes: losing 5 percent to 7 percent of your body weight, and getting at least 150 minutes each week of physical activity.
HHS will host Lifestyle Coach training in September for individuals or organizations interested in offering the National Diabetes Prevention Program in New Hampshire.
For more information on prediabetes, to locate a National Diabetes Prevention Program in New Hampshire or to see if you have prediabetes, visit preventdiabetesnh.org.