Columbus Mayor Campaigns for Diabetes Testing
WASHINGTON, Nov. 9, 2004 – Even before Michael B. Coleman was mayor of Columbus, he worked up to 14 hours a day. But he also smoked and ate too much — and at the wrong times of the day. But around 1993, he noticed something was wrong. He was running out of steam by the middle of the day, and found it hard to get his work done.
“I didn’t understand what was going on with me,” said Coleman.
He eventually went to a doctor and found out he was diabetic, one of more than 13 million Americans who are diagnosed with the disease, according to the American Diabetes Association.
Coleman, who has quit smoking and has adopted a healthier lifestyle, said having the disease no longer slows him down. But he said that medication – and better testing – also has been critical to not letting the disease slow him down.
“I feel better than I ever have,” said Coleman, who has type 2 diabetes, the most common form of the disease. Type 1 diabetes is usually found in children and young adults.
That’s the lesson he will be talking about when he kicks off a campaign encouraging diabetics to get the disease under better control in order to avoid more serious complications, which can include heart and kidney disease. Diabetes is also a heavy financial burden if not treated well – more than $130 billion is spent on diabetes-related complications.
The campaign, called “A1C<7%," is being sponsored by the United States Conference of Mayors and "Aim. Believe. Achieve," a collection of organizations tackling the growing problem of diabetes.
Coleman will speak at the official opening of the campaign Thursday in the nation's capital. Forty-nine mayors from across the country are promoting the campaign in their own cities.
Though there are national television and radio spots planned, more ads featuring individual mayors will run locally. While in Washington, Coleman will record the television spot that will run in the Columbus area and attend other events related to the diabetes campaign.
Experts associated with the campaign – as well as Coleman himself – stress the need for taking the A1C test, which takes into account a diabetic's blood-sugar level over a three month period, rather than on a daily basis, which can be more unreliable due to fluctuations. Under 7 refers to the percentage at which a person's blood-sugar level is under control.
Dr. James Gavin, a diabetes specialist with the Morehouse School of Medicine and on the steering committee of the campaign, said only about 60 percent of those with diabetes were getting the A1C test – but not always regularly. "Not enough people are getting it, and they're not getting it often enough," he said.
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