About Diabetes
Complications
Warning Signs
Screening Test
Donate Now
E-Lerts™
Index
Latest News
Diabetes Terms
Health & Fitness
Online Press Center
Employees Who Control Their Blood
Glucose Are More Productive
posted 12/11/02
Studies show that those who control their BG earn $1700 more
Two studies have looked specifically at the
effect of glycemic control and diabetes interventions for employees. A 12-week
double-blind study (Testa et al., 1998) of 569 individuals who had type 2
diabetes found that those who improved their glycemic (blood sugar) control
 |
Were more productive on the job (99% versus
87%) and able to remain employed longer (97% versus 85%) than employees who
did not control and lower their blood sugar levels.
|
|
Lowered their absenteeism rate by 1% compared
with an 8% increase in employees with poor glycemic control. Lost earnings due
to absenteeism were estimated at only $24 per worker per month for male
employees who improved their glycemic control in comparison with $115 for
those with uncontrolled blood sugar. |
|
Had fewer days of restricted activity and bed
rest than those who did not improve their glycemic control. Lost earnings due
to restricted activity was $2,660 per 1,000 person-days for male employees
with good glycemic control versus $4,275 for those with poor control. For
those restricted to bed rest, lost earnings were $1,539 per 1,000 person-days
for male employees compared with $1,843 for those with poor glycemic control.
|
Another study (Burton et al., 1998),
performed at the First Chicago NBD Corporation, found that after 3 months of
attending a worksite diabetes education program, employees with diabetes had
|
Lowered their mean fasting blood sugar from 198
mg/dL to 180 mg/dL.
|
|
Reduced their mean hemoglobin A1c from 9.0% to
8.3%. The hemoglobin A1c test indicates average blood sugar control over a
90-day period and is essential for monitoring blood glucose control.
|
Although the values in this study were still higher than the
ideal blood sugar range, any improvement in glycemic control has been shown to
reduce the risk for diabetes-related complications.
A third recent study, conducted by Health Partners, a nonprofit
HMO, looked at the inpatient and outpatient cost of its members who had diabetes
(Gilmer et al., 1997). The researchers found that those with higher
hemoglobin A1c values had higher medical costs over a 3-year period. Expenses
were significantly higher for each percentage point increase above a hemoglobin
A1c of 7%. For example, the medical costs of a person with a hemoglobin A1c of
9% might average $2,000 more than those for a person with a hemoglobin A1c of
8%. Costs were found to be even higher if the person also had heart disease and
high blood pressure.
Please note that the Health Partners study did not demonstrate that lowering glucose levels by the amounts in the study would reduce costs. The program costs to lower glucose levels are also not taken into account. Rather, it showed an association between baseline glycemic control and subsequent health care costs.
Source: Diabetes In Control Dot Com.
Home - Table of Contents - Donate Now - About Diabetes - Warning Signs - Complications - Screening Test - Diabetes Terms - Site Search - Meet Mr. Diabetes® - Wake Up And Walk® Tour - Latest News - Headlines & News Stories - Health & Fitness - About Us - FAQ - Research Form - - Message Board - Privacy Policy - Legal Notices - How to Contact Us - Comments form - Suggestion Form - Our E-Mail Addresses - Our Address and Phone Numbers - Links - Contact Us