Step Out: Walk to Stop Diabetes Campaign in Full Swing

The American Diabetes Association's premier annual fundraising event, Step Out: Walk to Stop Diabetes, has kicked off.

Step Out: Walk to Stop Diabetes, one of the main yearly fundraising events organised by the American Diabetes Association (ADA), brings together thousands of people across the United States in the fight to stop diabetes. Launched in August, the event will raise funds for research with 108 walks scheduled to take place over the next few months.

There are currently 29.1 million people in the United States who have diabetes. (To put things in perspective: in 2012, there were 25.8 million Americans living with the disease.) An estimated 21 million have already been diagnosed and another 8.1 million don't even know they are affected. Approximately 25 percent of people over the age of 60 have the disease. The current trends are alarming and, if they persist, one in three adults will have diabetes by 2050.

Even though genetics often plays a role, the increase of diabetes in the U.S. is primarily a consequence of overweight and obesity, according to a new study, conducted by Andy Menke, an epidemiologist with the private research organisation Social & Scientific Systems. The study, published in the Sept. 2 issue of Annals of Internal Medicine, reveals that, in the period from 1976 through 2010, the prevalence of the disease in men rose from about 5 percent to more than 11 percent and, in women, from under 6 percent to almost 9 percent.

In 2013, more than 110,000 people participated in the ADA-organised walks, raising almost $24 million to support the association's mission to prevent and cure diabetes, and to improve the quality of life of those affected by the disease. The event has been taking place for over 20 years and has raised more than $175 million.

Step Out is a walk that lets anyone participate either individually or in teams, with friends. Route options range from 1 to 6 miles, allowing people with limited mobility to join the campaign. Step Out events have all kinds of teams, from family and school teams to clubs, organisations, and corporate teams.

The American Diabetes Association is also looking for Red Striders, people living with type 1, type 2 or gestational diabetes, to participate in the walks to put a face on the disease and help other participants understand what it means to live with it and as a reminder of why the walks are taking place.

To register or volunteer for the Step Out campaign, visit diabetes.org/stepout.