About the Prediabetes Risk Test

More than 84 million (1 in 3) American adults have prediabetes, a condition where blood sugar levels are higher than normal but not high enough yet to be diagnosed as type 2 diabetes. What’s more, nearly 90% percent of those people don’t know they have it. Having prediabetes greatly increases the chance of developing type 2 diabetes and other serious health conditions. It’s critical for Americans to learn their prediabetes risk, be screened regularly and take the steps necessary to delay or prevent type 2 diabetes.

The American Diabetes Association (ADA) launched its first risk test in 1993. The risk test was adapted by a published study and validated using data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). To simplify the test, only health traits that people would know about themselves were included, such as age, height, and weight, but not blood sugar or cholesterol levels.

A person with a high score on the online risk test (five or higher) is at significant risk for having prediabetes. However, only a blood test can determine an official diagnosis.

Take the test to determine your risk for prediabetes here. 

When a person has prediabetes, their blood sugar levels are higher than normal but not high enough for a diabetes diagnosis. Prediabetes can increase a person’s risk of developing type 2 diabetes, heart disease, and stroke. CDC estimates that 88 million, or 1 in 3, US adults aged 18 years or older had prediabetes in 2018. This number includes about 35 million adults aged 45 to 64 years and 24 million aged 65 years or older. Although an estimated one-third of US adults had prediabetes in 2018, only 15.3% were aware of it. Trends in the prevalence of prediabetes among US adults remained constant from 2005 to 2016. However, the percentage with prediabetes who had ever been told by a health care professional that they had prediabetes (awareness) has doubled (Figure 6) (CDC Diabetes Report Card, 2019).

If your prediabetes risk assessment comes out showing you have a high risk of getting diabetes, take action sooner than later. Even the smallest change in lifestyle habits, such as dietary changes, mild exercise, managing stress, and surrounding yourself with a strong support group can help you to continue to stay healthy. Contact us to reserve your spot in the next CDC Diabetes Prevention Program.