CardiovascularAmerican Diabetes Association Launches My Health Advisor -- Online Calculator That Shows Risk For Diabetes, Heart Disease And Stroke
With an estimated 57 million Americans with pre-diabetes, the American Diabetes Association today launches My Health Advisor, an online tool that helps people understand their personal risk for developing type 2 diabetes, heart disease and stroke. My Health Advisor is available at http://www.CheckUpAmerica.org/MHA.
My Health Advisor takes into account a person"s specific risk factors, such as family history and lifestyle choices, as well as other factors like access to health care, to determine their risk for developing diabetes, heart disease and stroke. The online calculator immediately reflects and readjusts a person"s risk outcome based on small changes they make in their lives, such as losing 5-10 pounds, quitting smoking or taking a daily aspirin.
Unlike other online health calculators, My Health Advisor uses the powerful and unique health simulation program, Archimedes. Archimedes pulls together large amounts of clinical research data to make highly accurate predictions about a person"s health risks. The software creates a virtual reality in which all relevant factors that can impact a person"s health in the real world match the factors in the simulated world. To further ensure accurate assessments, the results have been compared directly with real-life clinical trial results and have a nearly perfect correlation with the outcomes of actual patients.
Results from a 2008 Omnibus survey conducted by the Association indicate that the majority of adults ages 40 and older are at risk for type 2 diabetes and heart disease. Furthermore, those surveyed do not acknowledge their control over developing these conditions, and see little motivation to lose weight and lead healthier lives.
"Type 2 diabetes is preventable with healthy lifestyle choices. With 1.6 million new cases of diabetes diagnosed each year and heart disease and stroke accounting for 2 out of 3 diabetes-related deaths, the need to educate people about and accurately assess their risk of developing these diseases is at an all time high," said Peter Sheehan, M.D., CheckUp America committee chair. "My Health Advisor is an extremely powerful tool that we can use to help people not only understand their risk, but take proactive steps to a healthier life."
Users of My Health Advisor benefit from a customized risk assessment and personalized prevention tips for living healthier lives and taking action to reduce the risk of developing life-threatening diseases. Clinicians can also use My Health Advisor with their patients to develop prevention plans with their patients.
For more information on My Health Advisor and to access the online calculator, visit CheckUpAmerica.org/MHA.
My Health Advisor is an activity of the American Diabetes Association"s Cardiometabolic Risk Initiative, which is supported by unrestricted educational grants from Eli Lilly and Company, Merck/Merck-Schering Plough Pharmaceuticals, Novartis Pharmaceuticals Corporation, Pfizer Inc., sanofi-aventis and Takeda Pharmaceuticals North America.
About CheckUp America
CheckUp America is a national prevention initiative of the American Diabetes Association aimed at helping people learn how to lower their risk for type 2 diabetes and heart disease. Recent research suggests many people believe lifestyle changes to reduce risk are "too hard," indicating they are uninformed about the small steps that can be taken to reduce their disease risk. Thankfully, changes to improve heart health aren"t too hard -- they just require a little knowledge and determination.
To understand your risk for type 2 diabetes and heart disease, it"s important to know your risk factors. Some risk factors can be managed (modifiable factors) because you can take action against them. Other factors cannot be changed (non-modifiable factors) because they are naturally specific to each individual.
American Diabetes Association