34 THE QUEENS COURIER • WELLNESS • AUGUST 17, 2017 FOR BREAKING NEWS VISIT WWW.QNS.COM
wellness
Diabetes impacts younger people
more often: Are you at risk?
Every 17 seconds someone in the
United States is diagnosed with diabetes.
What’s even more surprising is diabetes
is growing fastest among younger people,
outpacing the rate of heart disease, substance
abuse and chronic obstructive pulmonary
disease.
A new study by the Blue Cross Blue
Shield Association (BCBSA) shows that
the impact of diabetes continues to grow
and is increasing most rapidly among
those age 18 through 34. Th e 4.7 percent
growth in diabetes impact for younger
adults from 2013 through 2015 corresponds
to this age group’s spike in obesity
rates, a key contributor to the onset
of diabetes.
Diabetes ranks third in terms of its
health impact nationally on quality of life
and cost for the commercially insured
population among the more than 200 conditions
measured by the Blue Cross Blue
Shield (BCBS) Health Index. Th e “health
impact” of a specifi c condition refl ects the
prevalence and severity for that condition
as well as the years of life lost due to disability
and risk of premature death.
The report, “Diabetes and the
Commercially Insured U.S. Population,”
represents an analysis of the BCBS Health
Index data on diabetes, which leverages
the claims of more than 40 million BCBS
members.
Younger people may not be as focused
on their health and many may not be
aware they are at risk for diabetes at their
age. Th e fi rst step is to understand the risk
and the next step is to take action. Type 2
diabetes is preventable with thoughtful,
proactive measures.
According to the American Diabetes
Association, there are many ways to lower
your risk of developing diabetes, including:
Weight: Staying at a healthy weight
can help you prevent and manage problems
like prediabetes, Type 2 diabetes,
heart disease, high blood pressure
and unhealthy cholesterol. Keep tabs on
your weight by weighing yourself at least
once per week. Stay active and strive
to watch less than 10 hours of TV per
week. Physical activity: Physical activity
can do a lot for your overall health. Set
your alarm to get up and stretch or walk
around the house or offi ce at least every
30 minutes throughout the day. A walking
buddy or workout friend can support
you while you both work toward your
goals. Healthy eating: Eating healthy is
one of the most important things you can
do to lower your risk for Type 2 diabetes.
Cut back on calories and fat in your diet.
Choose lean meats, whole grains and fi ll
half your plate with non-starchy veggies
such as carrots, broccoli and green beans.
Consider keeping a journal of what you
eat and have fun trying new healthy recipes.
Finally, speak with your doctor about
any concerns you have. Your doctor is
able to provide individualized insight into
your risks and guide you to how you can
prevent diabetes and live healthier. For
more information, visit www.bcbs.com.
Th e Blue Cross Blue Shield Association
is a national federation of 36 independent,
community-based and locally operated
Blue Cross Blue Shield companies
that collectively provide health care coverage
for one in three Americans. BCBSA
provides health care insights through Th e
Health of America Report series and the
national BCBS Health Indexsm. For more
information on BCBSA and its member
companies, please visit BCBS.com.
We also encourage you to connect with
us on Facebook, check out our videos on
YouTube, follow us on Twitter and check
out our blog.
Courtesy BPT
5 things parents need to know about HPV
Being a parent means looking out for
your kids. When they were small it meant
making sure they wore a helmet, crossed
the street carefully and wore sunscreen. As
they get older, the health challenges they
face change. As they become adolescents,
you can’t always be with them, so you warn
against things like the dangers of alcohol
and drugs and sharing too much on social
media. But what about human papillomavirus
(HPV) - a virus that can cause certain
cancers and diseases? Learning about
health risks your children may be exposed
to as adolescents or young adults that can
aff ect them later in life is the fi rst step
toward helping to protect them.
You may have heard about HPV, but
you may not be aware of the impact it
may have. As your children become adolescents
it’s more important than ever to
be their health advocate and learn about
potential future health concerns, including
HPV.
Here are fi ve HPV
facts for parents:
1. HPV is more common than you
may think. According to the Centers for
Disease Control and Prevention (CDC),
about 79 million Americans are currently
infected with HPV, and there are approximately
14 million new HPV infections in
the United States each year. Half of these
infections occur in people ages 15-24.
For most, HPV clears on its own. But
for others who don’t clear certain types,
HPV can cause signifi cant consequences
in both males and females.
2. When HPV does not clear, it can
cause certain pre-cancers, cancers and
other diseases. Th ese can develop very
slowly and may not even be diagnosed
until years later. Th ere’s no way to predict
who will or won’t clear the virus.
3. You may have only heard of HPV
as a cause of cervical cancer in women,
but there are other HPV-related diseases
that can aff ect males, as well as females.
Certain types of HPV cause cervical, vaginal
and vulvar pre-cancers and cancers in
females and other HPV types cause genital
warts and anal cancer in males and
females.
4. HPV oft en has no visible signs or
symptoms, so many people are not even
aware that they have it. Th is means people
can pass on HPV without knowing
it. It may take only one sexual encounter
to be infected with HPV. HPV can
be transmitted through experimentation
that involves genital contact of any kind
- intercourse is not necessary but is the
most common.
5. You may think it’s too soon to worry
about how HPV could aff ect your son
or daughter, but the best time to get the
facts about HPV is before they may be
exposed.
As a parent you never stop looking
out for your kids, and the more we learn
about health risks for our children, the
more we can do to help protect them as
they grow up. Take action now, while
you are still managing your adolescent’s
health care. Speak with your child’s doctor
for more information and be sure to
ask about ways to help prevent HPVrelated
cancers and diseases, including
vaccination.
Courtesy BPT