By MONIQUE KOERNER
Cottonwood Extension District
Do you have diabetes? Do you support someone you know that has diabetes? This class if for you!
Dining with Diabetes is a K-State Research and Extension health and wellness program that consist of a series of four classes that includes learning, demonstrations, physical activity and tasting healthy foods. The program's focus is to help individuals learn strategies to lessen the health risks of diabetes.
Program Objectives
· Increase knowledge about healthy foods
· Present healthy versions of familiar foods and taste testing of recipes
· Demonstrate new cooking techniques
· Provide basic information regarding diabetes and nutrition
· Provide opportunities for sharing and learning from one another and from diabetes health professionals
Program Description
Dining with Diabetes is a national extension program provided to Kansans by K-State Research and Extension Family and Consumer Sciences professionals and community health partners. The program is a series of four 2-hour classes that are held once a week. Classes consist of a presentation on diabetes self-care or healthful food choices; a five to ten-minute low-impact physical activity; presentations on tasty, healthy familiar foods, sampling foods, and demonstrations of cooking techniques using artificial sweeteners, reduced-fat foods, herbs, and spices.
Who can participate?
The program is designed for people with diabetes, pre-diabetes, or at risk for diabetes and their family members, caregivers, and support persons.
Why Dining with Diabetes?
Diabetes is an expensive disease. The recent research report, "Economic Costs of Diabetes in the U.S. in 2017" estimates that the total cost of diagnosed diabetes has risen to $327 billion in 2017, this cost was estimated to be $245 billion in 2012. This represents a 26% increase over a five-
year period. This cost includes direct medical expenses ($237 billion) and the cost of reduced productivity ($90 billion). According to this study, people with diabetes spend an average of 2.3 times the amount people without diabetes spend each year on their health. That works out to an average of $16,752 a year per person, about $9,601 of which is directly attributed to diabetes. Source: American Diabetes Association, March 2018.
Diabetes is one of the costliest health conditions in Kansas. Diabetes and prediabetes cost an estimated $2.6 billion in Kansas each year (CDC). More than 50% of spending on type 2 diabetes is for treating health problems that could have been prevented with better diabetes management. Research shows that diabetes can be treated and managed by healthful eating, regular physical activity, and medications to lower blood glucose levels. The Dining with Diabetes program provides education and training focused on behaviors shown to help people with diabetes stay healthy.
Diabetes by the numbers in Kansas*
Approximately 255,215 people in Kansas, or 11.4% of the adult population, have diagnosed diabetes.
An additional 66,000 people in Kansas have diabetes but don’t know it, greatly increasing their health risk.
There are 782,000 people in Kansas, 35.3% of the adult population, who have prediabetes with blood glucose levels that are higher than normal but not yet high enough to be diagnosed as diabetes.
Every year an estimated 20,271 people in Kansas are diagnosed with diabetes.
*Reference- American Diabetes Association October 2021 Report
Dining with Diabetes classes will be offered on June 6, 13, 20, and 27, 2024 from 4-6pm at the Hays Recreation Center Marcy Allenbaugh Conference Room. For more information or to sign up please call 785-628-9430 or email [email protected]. Cost is $35/person.
Monique Koerner is the Family and Community Wellness Agent with K-State Research and Extension – Cottonwood District. You may reach her at: 785-628-9430 or [email protected]