National Diabetes Awareness Month

WHEREAS, approximately 29 million people in the United States have diabetes; and

WHEREAS, at least 86 million people in the United States have what is referred to as “pre-diabetes,” within a three-year follow-up, many will develop Type 2 diabetes, if they do not lose weight or exercise on a regular basis; and

WHEREAS, approximately 510,000 or 13.8 percent of adults have diabetes in Alabama and an additional 255,000 or 8.5 percent have pre-diabetes; one in three children born after the year 2000 are projected to develop Type 2 diabetes unless there is health intervention; and

WHEREAS, because few Alabamians engage in sufficient physical activity or have diets that include the proper amount of fruits and vegetables, Alabama is near the top on all national overweight and obesity rankings, making its citizens very susceptible to developing Type 2 diabetes; and

WHEREAS, diabetes contributes to high blood pressure, stroke, kidney disease, blindness, lower extremity amputations, depression and other complications; and

WHEREAS, much of the health and economic burden of diabetes can be averted through preventive health methods; and

WHEREAS, the Alabama Department of Public Health Diabetes Prevention and Control Program and advocates throughout the state are committed to seeing all citizens achieve total wellness, maintain healthy glycemic levels and reduce the preventable and economic burden of diabetes:

NOW, THEREFORE, I, Robert Bentley, Governor of Alabama, do hereby proclaim the month of November 2014, as

National Diabetes Awareness Month

in the state of Alabama.