10 Questions for an Accurate Diabetes Risk Assessment
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Age: What is your current age?
- Risk increases notably after age 45.
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Sex: Are you male or female?
- Men and women have different risk patterns; some risk calculators adjust for sex.
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Family history: Do you have a parent or sibling with diabetes?
- First-degree relatives with diabetes substantially raise risk.
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Weight/BMI: What is your height and weight (or BMI)?
- Overweight and obesity are principal modifiable risk factors.
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Waist circumference: What is your waist measurement?
- Central (abdominal) obesity correlates strongly with insulin resistance.
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Physical activity: How many days per week do you get at least 30 minutes of moderate activity?
- Low activity increases risk; regular exercise lowers it.
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Dietary pattern: Do you regularly eat high-sugar, high-refined-carb, or processed foods?
- Poor diet quality raises long-term diabetes risk.
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Blood pressure: Have you been diagnosed with high blood pressure or are you on antihypertensives?
- Hypertension commonly coexists with diabetes and metabolic syndrome.
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Cholesterol / lipid history: Have you been told you have high triglycerides or low HDL cholesterol?
- Dyslipidemia is a component of cardiometabolic risk.
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History of high blood sugar or gestational diabetes: Have you had elevated blood glucose, prediabetes, or gestational diabetes during pregnancy?
- Prior hyperglycemia or gestational diabetes strongly predicts future diabetes.
Brief note: Combining these answers with simple measures (fasting glucose, A1c, or validated risk-scoring tools) gives a more accurate estimate of diabetes risk.