For Them and For You, Too

Read this fotonovela to learn simple steps to prevent or delay type 2 diabetes, especially if you have a family history of the condition. Care for your family by caring for yourself first.

Raquel, Lourdes and Elisa are friends who work at a dry cleaning store. Their story includes happiness, hard work—and encounters with diabetes.

Read about their friendship and how they stay healthy in a fotonovela from the National Diabetes Education Program. A fotonovela tells a story through photos and words. Do It for Them! But for You, Too (¡Hazlo por ellos! Pero por ti también.) presents the three women's stories in English and Spanish in the same book.

Like the families of Raquel, Lourdes and Elisa, many Hispanic/Latino families have been affected by diabetes. During Hispanic Heritage Month, talk to your family about whether there is a history of diabetes. Then check out the fotonovela to learn more about how to prevent type 2 diabetes and how to manage diabetes if you have the condition.

  Risk for Type 2 Diabetes

• In the years 2010–2012 in the United States, among Hispanic adults aged 20 or older, the age-adjusted rate of diagnosed diabetes was 8.5% for Central and South Americans, 9.3% for Cubans, 13.9% for Mexican Americans, and 14.8% for Puerto Ricans.
• More than 1 in 2 Hispanic men and women (over 50%) are predicted to develop diabetes, reports a major study of over 1 million U.S. adults between 1985 and 2011.
• See if you have additional risk factors for type 2 diabetes.

How to Read or Order the Fotonovela

You can download the fotonovela or order a print copy from the National Diabetes Education Program (NDEP) web site or by calling 800-CDC-INFO (800-232-4636).

You can download the fotonovela or order a print copy from the National Diabetes Education Program (NDEP). For more information or to order the fotonovela, visit CDC-Info on Demand - Publications or call 1-800-CDC-INFO (800-232-4636)/TTY 1-(888) 232-6348. If you have questions, email Betsy Rodríguez CDC-NDEP Deputy Director at bjr6@cdc.gov.

You Can Make Healthy Changes

• Choose healthier foods.
• Increase physical activity. Walk 10 minutes at a time, and build up to 30 minutes a day. Be active for at least 150 minutes a week.
• If you're overweight, lose a moderate amount of weight—5% to 7%, or about 10-14 pounds for a 200-pound person.
• Turn off the TV while eating or doing homework.
• Help your children stay active by limiting TV and video games to no more than one to two hours a day and joining them in playing soccer, riding bikes, or brisk walking.

Care for your family by caring for yourself first. Do it for them! But for you, too.