November is National Diabetes Month. Everyone has heard the statistics that diabetes is on the rise in Travis County, but what can you do to help your family and yourself prevent type 2 diabetes? Or if you have diabetes, how can you take steps to learn more and live a healthier life?

“Even if you know what to do to improve your health, figuring out how to do it and fitting it into your daily routine can be a big challenge, said Dr. Philip Huang, Medical Director, Austin/Travis County Health and Human Services Department. “That’s why it’s important to set goals and make a plan to prevent type 2 diabetes or manage diabetes to prevent complications”.

So how do you get started making these changes? It’s about choosing a goal and working toward it. Making a plan and taking the first step will help you reach your goal. The National Diabetes Education Program’s Make a Plan tool can help you think about what is important to your health and how to break down your goals into small achievable steps. This November, make a change to live well at http://www.yourdiabetesinfo.org/ .

As part of National Diabetes Month, the Austin/Travis County Health and Human Services Department, American Diabetes Association and the Central Texas Diabetes Coalition are hosting events across Austin to help the community learn more about healthy living and diabetes.

• November 1st: Diabetes education classes in Spanish at the Webb Middle School Family Resource Center (sponsored by Austin/Travis County HHSD). To register, call (512) 841-2280
• November 3rd: Step out- Walk to Stop Diabetes sponsored by the American Diabetes Association
• November 8th: Show your support for diabetes education and prevention by attending the National Diabetes Month in Austin Proclamation at Austin City Hall at 5:15 PM (Sponsored by the Central Texas Diabetes Coalition)
• November 10th: Zumba-thon, Sponsored by the American Diabetes Association
• November 14th (World Diabetes Day): Various buildings in Austin will be lit up blue in recognition of this day and the growing diabetes epidemic

For an ongoing listing of diabetes resources and education classes visit the Central Texas Diabetes Coalition website at http://www.austintexas.gov/department/central-texas-diabetes-coalition or the American Diabetes Association at www.diabetes.org .

For information about the Austin/Travis County Health and Human Services Department or Central Texas Diabetes Coalition events, contact Stephanie Helfman, Diabetes Program Coordinator, at (512) 972-6764.

For information about the American Diabetes Association sponsored events, contact (512) 472-9838.

This entry was posted on Saturday, December 1st, 2012 at 9:45 am and is filed under Home. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.