Ka Wai Ola - Office of Hawaiian Affairs, Volume 34, Number 3, 1 March 2017 — STEP OUT [ARTICLE+ILLUSTRATION]

STEP OUT

Help fight this silent killer, walk on March 18 to stop diabetes

By Francine Kananionapua Murray One in three people in Hawai'i have pre-dia-betes or diabetes, and our state has the highest prevalenee of gestahonal diabetes in the eountry. "So many other heahh issues ean be tied to diabetes," said Naney King, OHA Grants Specialist. "You

could have it and not realize it because it doesn't present itself with real debilitating symptoms until it's at the point where it's too late." If untreated the silent killer ean lead to heart attack, stroke, kidney disease, blindness, loss of limbs and death. For too many of us diabetes hits hard; my cousin died from a diabetic eoma and my grandmother passed from complications due to diabetes. It is a devastating disease worth every effort to fight. Right about that time I read an article by Dr. Claire Hughes about diabetes prevention and I was scared straight. I used to drink diet soda with every meal and had Snickers bars and shakes regularly, but quit them all cold turkey. If I ean do it, anyone ean. It's also important to get moving and stay physically active even if you just walk around the hloek or up and down the stairs at work. Do it. Even if you are thin, your weight doesn't matter, according to the American Diabetes Association. Asian Americans, Native Hawaiians and Pacific Islanders are at greater risk for Type 2 diabetes at any weight.

"It's an extremely preventable disease," said King. "If people just improve their lifestyle a little bit. Change their diet. Get a little bit more exercise. Diabetes is so prevalent with Native Hawaiians. It's not that we have diabetes necessarily more than others, but it's more detrimental and fatal to us than to other ethnicities." OHA has been sponsoring the American Diabetes Association's Step Out Walk to Stop Diabetes for 10 years. "It's a really unusual charitable fundraiser walk, because almost 100 percent of the moneys raised will stay in Hawai'i," King said. "So it's moneys used not just for research, whieh a lot of things are and is such an indirect touch for people. With the diabetes walk and

the American Diabetes Association they actually have programs that go out and do education and prevention, and use their funding for so mueh more than just research or sending it nationally." Lots of people teamup when they register and gather their friends, family, classmates or coworkers and walk as a team. Not available that day? You ean still help. Those who can't make the actual walk on March 18 at Kapi'olani Park register as virtual walkers to support the cause, others support walkers with tax-deductible donations. Supporters share the Step Out vision of a life free from diabetes and all its burdens. Pre-walk activities start at 7 a.m. with the walk starting at 8 a.m. Join in and help the cause by making a commitment to walk at the Step Out Walk to do our part to stop diabetes. For more information, visit diabetes.org. To register, go to stepout.diabetes.org, select HI as the state, then eliek on 2017 Step Out: Honolulu.. ■

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HEALĪH

You could be at risk lf you ean eheek one of these boxes, you are at risk for type 2 diabetes. □ I am of Hawaiian descent □ I am of Asian descent □ I am of Pacific lslander descent □ I am over weight/obese □ I do not exercise regularly □ I am over45 years old □ I have family members with diabetes Learn more at diabetes.org or eall 1-800-342-2383.

Team OHA takes a daily 1 0 minute walk, and has committed to walk the March 1 8 Step Out to Stop Diabetes Walk at Kapi'olani Park. - Photo: Francine Murray