Health

Diabetes Information Debuts on Senior-Friendly Web Site

Diabetes information just got easier to read, listen to, or watch. And it's only a mouse click away on an innovative government Web site geared especially toward seniors called NIHSeniorHealth.

Web users who log on to NIHSeniorHealth.gov (http://NIHSeniorHealth.gov) can find out about diabetes causes and prevention, symptoms and diagnosis, treatment and research. They can discover how lifestyle changes can reduce older adults' risk of developing diabetes by more than 70 percent. And if they are among the 8 million older Americans who have diabetes, they can find tips on how diet and exercise can help prevent heart disease, stroke, kidney failure, and other serious complications of the disease.

"Diabetes is a major chronic illness among older Americans, but it's also a disease that can be effectively managed, particularly in people who are informed and motivated," says Dr. Allen M. Spiegel, director of the National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases (NIDDK), which developed the content for the new diabetes topic on the site. "Every older American should bookmark NIHSeniorHealth.gov as the Web site to visit for accurate, up-to-date health information on diabetes."

As one of the fastest growing age groups using the Internet, older Americans increasingly are turning to the World Wide Web for health information. In fact, 66 percent of "wired" seniors surf for health and medical information. NIHSeniorHealth, a joint effort of the National Institute on Aging (NIA) and the National Library of Medicine (NLM), was designed especially with seniors in mind. The senior-friendly site is based on the latest research on cognition and aging and features short, easy-to-read segments of information that can be accessed in a variety of formats, including various large-print type sizes, open-captioned videos, and even a talking version. The site links to MedlinePlus, NLM's premier and more detailed site for consumer health information.

The NIA leads the Federal effort supporting and conducting research on aging and the health and well-being of older people. The NLM, the world's largest library of the health sciences, creates and sponsors Web-based health information resources for the public and professionals. The NIDDK conducts and supports diabetes research and provides information about the disease to the public. All three are components of the National Institutes of Health in Bethesda, MD, part of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services.