Your Health

How Women And Men Handle Diabetes

Posted: 2/9/2012

Comprehensive health and wellness information can help many of the 26 million Americans with diabetes cope with the condition.

(NAPSI)—The differences between women and men include how they view the effect diabetes has on their lives, according to a recent survey.

The study, conducted as part of a collaboration between WebMD and Rite Aid, found that women, more than men, reported that diabetes had a greater negative effect on their emotional outlook as well as their compliance with diet and exercise.

“The survey results make sense when you consider women play multiple roles—employee, homemaker and caretaker, often for both children and parents,” said Dr. Carolyn Daitch, director of the Center for the Treatment of Anxiety Disorders and a psychologist with 30 years’ experience treating anxiety in patients with chronic medical conditions. “Having ready access to resources such as a pharmacist who can provide guidance and tools for self-care and practical, easy-to-implement recommendations for a healthy lifestyle can be very valuable in helping manage diabetes.”

Other Findings

• Half of the women who reported being diagnosed with type 2 diabetes say they feel overwhelmed, while less than a third of men report similar feelings.

• Just over half the women feel in control of their diabetes compared to more than two-thirds of the men.

• Women are less likely to maintain healthy lifestyles. Just over a third exercise 30 minutes or more daily while nearly half the men claim to. Just 45 percent of women avoid sweet and salty snacks compared to 56 percent of men.

• Women living with diabetes, particularly those ages 45 to 64, are enthusiastic about tools that can help them manage it, such as diabetic-friendly recipes and tips for eating right, e-mail newsletters, savings on diabetes-related products, and videos and articles about diet, exercise and symptoms.

Fortunately, all these resources are available through Rite Aid’s new wellness+ for diabetes. It features access to specially trained pharmacists who can answer diabetes medication questions, as well as special savings on diabetes-related products.

In addition, members have exclusive online access to a special section of WebMD’s “Diabetes head2toe” lifestyle management tools. This includes a Personal Diabetes Work Plan—customized for each individual member—with a daily glucose tracker, a weekly workout log, recipes, meal-planning tips, monthly lifestyle summary reports, and stories of people who live healthy, balanced lives with diabetes.

To learn more, visit www.riteaid.com/diabetes and WebMD.com/diabeteshead2toe.

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