American Diabetes Association launches online risk assessment

American Diabetes Association launches online risk assessment

The American Diabetes Association (ADA) is encouraging Americans to visit its Web site and take the Diabetes Risk Test. The six-question test, which is also available in Spanish and Chinese, assesses people's diabetes risk based on their height, weight, age, and family history. Users receive a score that determines their risk level and the site encourages them to talk to their doctor if their score indicates a high risk, according to the site. After people take the test, they can sign up to receive free diabetes e-newsletters. Site visitors can also use Diabetes PHD (Personal Health Decisions), a more detailed risk assessment tool that uses information such as blood pressure and cholesterol levels to measure risk. According to the ADA, 20.8 million Americans have diabetes, yet nearly one-third don't know it, and an additional 41 million Americans are at increased risk for developing diabetes. Go to the site to see the risk test. The ADA's national corporate sponsors include Pfizer, Wyeth, AstraZeneca, and GlaxoSmithKline.