Will You Be Getting The Money?
by Ngozi Osuagwu, MD | September 19th, 2016
This past weekend my husband and I participated in the yearly biometric screening that is offered by my job. This year the focus was on the body mass index, blood pressure and hemoglobin A1C. If you were in the range for two of the three measures you earned some monetary incentive. If you were not in the range, you were required to join a program to help you move toward the desired range. The programs are free.
If you had to be screened today, would you be getting the money or would you be referred to a program?
Blood Pressure – your blood pressure needed to be less than 140/90. 1 in 5 adults with high blood pressure do not know they have high blood pressure. If you do not know you have high blood pressure or if you have high blood pressure and your blood pressure is not normal, it really does not matter how many medications you are on, you will get all the complications that occur by having your blood pressure not controlled. Those diseases include kidney failure, strokes, heart failure and blindness to name a few.
If you have not been diagnosed with high blood pressure and your blood pressure is elevated, schedule an appointment to see your doctor. Any one diagnosed with high blood pressure should own a blood pressure monitor so that you can make sure that your medication is working. You should know about the DASH (Dietary Approaches to Stopping Hypertension) diet. You should not be smoking.
Body Mass Index (BMI) – Your body mass index needed to be less than 30. To calculate your body mass index, you need to know your weight and height. It is your weight (in kilograms) over your height squared (in centimeters). You can click here to calculate using pounds and inches. BMI greater than 30 defines obesity. Obesity is the second leading cause of preventable death. We can do something about this. There have been success stories using Weight Watchers. Some insurance companies cover a referral to a dietitian or a gym. Take advantage of all that might be offered by your job.
Hemoglobin A1C – your hemoglobin A1c needed to be below 5.7%. Please know that between 5.7 and 6.4 is considered prediabetes and there is a lot that can be done so that you do not become a diabetic. 25 percent of people with diabetes do not know they have diabetes. 1 out of 3 Americans have prediabetes. 9 out of 10 people with prediabetes do not know they have it. Diabetes is the leading cause of preventable blindness. The YMCA has a wonderful diabetes prevention program.
So, how did you do? Did you get two out three? If you did, congratulations, continue to do what you have been doing to keep healthy. If you did not, this may be the time to schedule an appointment with your primary care physician. While you are waiting to see your doctor, you can start with some of the suggestions already made.
Previous blogs that may be helpful:
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