More than 84 million (1 in 3) American adults have prediabetes, a condition where blood sugar levels are higher than normal but not high enough yet to be diagnosed as type 2 diabetes. What’s more, nearly 90% percent of those people don’t know they have it. Having prediabetes greatly increases the chance of developing type 2 diabetes and other serious health conditions. It’s critical for Americans to learn their prediabetes risk, be screened regularly and take the steps necessary to delay or prevent type 2 diabetes.
The American Diabetes Association (ADA) launched its first risk test in 1993. The risk test was adapted by a published study and validated using data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (ÐÇ¿ÕÓéÀÖ¹ÙÍø). To simplify the test, only health traits that people would know about themselves were included, such as age, height, and weight, but not blood sugar or cholesterol levels.
A person with a high score on the online risk test (five or higher) is at significant risk for having prediabetes. However, only a blood test can determine an official diagnosis.