By Melissa Ricardo
On October 10, Miami Lakes Educational Center hosted their annual Diabetes Screening with the help of Health Occupations Students of America (HOSA) and the University of NOVA.
MLEC’s annual Diabetes Screening is held at the school’s gym. The event promotes healthy living and raises awareness of diabetes, which is important because 68.5 percent of Americans are obese or overweight.
Additionally, screenings provide a learning experience for students at the University of NOVA and members of HOSA, allowing them to strengthen their interpersonal skills–which are essential for a career in the medical field.
During the screening, students from NOVA measure student’s height, weight, body mass index or BMI, blood sugar and blood pressure and interpret what that means for their health.
Nellie Basden, a senior in nursing, agrees that the screening helps students get diagnosed early.
“It’s not for recognition, it’s for the students to improve their physical, mental, and spiritual health,” she said.
Diabetes is a chronic disease in which the body cannot regulate the amount of sugar in the blood and produces an inadequate amount of insulin. More than 29 million Americans have diabetes, and some are completely unaware of it.
Diabetes is the fifth leading cause of death in America, with 73,000 deaths every year, causing a wide range of health problems if left undiagnosed or untreated, including heart disease, kidney disease, nerve damage, amputation, and more.
Grace Evasco, an occupational therapist and student at the University of NOVA, believes it’s a good program to be educated on the importance of health.
