Poor diet, obesity, lack of exercise, stress, hypertension and heredity traits – all can possibly cause diabetes.
Because November is American Diabetes Month, the UH Health Center staff wants the campus community to understand the causes and effects of diabetes and, in turn, will offer free diabetes screenings today.
"Taking advantage of free testing helps people to discover their own personal health risk factors and become aware of actual or potential health problems earlier, which may save time and money as well as prevent further health problems," dermatology nurse Charisse Nesline said.
The clinic has been offering diabetes screenings to the UH community for almost 12 years, Chief Nurse Laura Moore said.
Though 161 people, which include students, faculty and staff, participated during the free screenings last November, the Center’s staff hopes more people will come in this year, she said.
The health staff urges everyone on campus to get screened because many people are not aware that they could have diabetes. About 20.8 million people have diabetes, but 6.2 million people have gone undiagnosed, according to the American Diabetes Association’s Web site.
"Testing is done by using a finger-stick blood glucose monitor.†One of the participant’s fingers is cleansed with rubbing alcohol, pricked with a lancet and a drop of blood is applied to a test strip inserted in the handheld monitor," Nesline said.
The test takes one to two minutes to be administered and is "relatively painless," and "results are available in about five seconds" and given to the patient by the nurse, she said.
"The nurse may refer the participant to seek further evaluation with either the Health Center physicians or the participant’s own healthcare provider if the results fall outside of the normal range," Nesline said.
Patients who are concerned with the results of their screening can make an appointment to speak to any of the general medicine physicians at the center, Moore said.
Those who are diagnosed with diabetes can be treated and given care there as well, and treatment methods would be "decided on an individual basis," she said.
University Studies sophomore Linda Pham said she is going to take advantage of the free testing.
"I’m going because it’ll tell me whether I’m healthy or not. I’ll tell others to go because it benefits them as well," she said. "And it’s free."
Participants only need to bring a valid picture ID, such as their CougarOne card or driver’s license, and are asked to abstain from eating or drinking before taking the test.
"For the most accurate results, participants should be fasting – no food or drink other than water – for eight hours prior to testing. If (that) is not possible, screening can be done at least two hours after a meal or snack," Nesline said.
Though the screenings are a good health assessment, the tests are only going to determine the likelihood of whether the patient has diabetes, Moore said.
"This free screening will not tell people if they have diabetes. It is only a screening tool. They will need to be seen by a physician and possibly have further testing done to actually be diagnosed," she said.
However, assessing the possibility of having diabetes is still important because it will help people better understand their "current health status regardless of perceived risk or current feeling of good health," Nesline said.
People who recognize their risk factors for diabetes will then be able to change their lifestyle by including more exercise routines and better eating habits so they will not develop diabetes, according to the ADA Web site.
Pham said too many people have diabetes now because they are "eating what they want when they want and most of it isn’t healthy."
"I think it is a growing problem that people need to deal with since some (people) just don’t care about what they eat these days. Having these screenings benefits everyone because it’ll encourage people to be more aware of their health problems," she said.
About 4,110 people are diagnosed with diabetes daily and the number of deaths caused by diabetes has risen 45 percent since 1987, according to the ADA Web site.
Everyone is encouraged to come get screened, but some are more encouraged than others by health staff. About 13.3 percent of blacks, 9.5 percent of Latinos and 15.1 percent of American Indians and Alaska natives have diabetes, according to the ADA Web site. No assessment of how many Asian-Americans and Pacific Islanders who have diabetes are available, but they are also prone to developing it, Nesline said.
"People who have a family history of diabetes are also at a higher risk of developing diabetes and are encouraged to have the free screening," she said.
For those who miss the screenings, another opportunity to receive a free test will be available on March 28.
"We offer it two times a year, once during American Diabetes Month in November and once during American Diabetes Alert Day in March," Moore said.
Diabetes screenings are available to students, staff and faculty members throughout the rest of the year for $13 without insurance. However, the patient must see a physician for testing if they do not have a doctor’s order to receive the screening.
For more information, call (713) 743-5151.
