ö Diabetes at Work
Age- and Gender-Based Tool

CONDUCTING A DIABETES ASSESSMENT - Age- and Gender-Based Tool

To make a general assessment of diabetes in your company you will need to complete the following five steps:

Step 1. Identify the potential prevalence of diabetes in your company

Enter the total number of males and females in your workforce by these six age categories. (These figures are used to automatically calculate steps 2 and 3 of this assessment.)

Employees (by age/years) Males Females
20 - 29
30 - 39
40 - 49
50 - 59
60 - 64
Over 65 (including retirees and dependents)
TOTALS

Step 2. Take the total number of males and females by age category and calculate the prevalence of diabetes in your company using the table below.

A B C D
Age (Years) Total # of Employees Multiply # of Employees by Diabetes Prevalence Rate* Number of persons estimated to have diabetes (product of columns B and C)
Both Sexes
20 - 39 1.1%
40 - 49 3.9%
50 - 59 8.0%
60 - 64 12.6%
65 - 74 12.6%
Males
20 - 39 1.1%
40 - 49 3.3%
50 - 59 9.6%
60 - 64 11.8%
65 - 74 11.8%
Females
20 - 39 1.1%
40 - 49 4.4%
50 - 59 9.6%
60 - 64 12.8%
65 - 74 12.8%

* These figures are based on prevalence rates from the Third National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey 1988-1994 (NHANES III) data on prevalence of diabetes by age and sex. NHANES III is one of several sources for data on the prevalence of diabetes in the United States. NHANES III surveyed a representative sample of more than 18,000 adults within the general population to estimate the percentage of employees with a known diagnosis of diabetes.

Step 3. Determine the total medical costs for employees with diabetes

A B C D
Age (Years) Total # of Employees Multiply by the average yearly medical cost for people with diabetes** Total medical costs for employees with diabetes in your company (product of columns B and C)
Both Sexes
20 - 39 $5,392
40 - 49 $8,051
50 - 59 $10,710
60 - 64 $10,710
65 - 74 $11,145
Males
20 - 39 $5,392
40 - 49 $8,051
50 - 59 $10,710
60 - 64 $10,710
65 - 74 $11,145
Females
20 - 39 $5,392
40 - 49 $8,051
50 - 59 $10,710
60 - 64 $10,710
65 - 74 $11,145

* These figures are based on prevalence rates from the Third National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey 1988-1994 (NHANES III) data on prevalence of diabetes by age and sex. NHANES III is one of several sources for data on the prevalence of diabetes in the United States. NHANES III surveyed a representative sample of more than 18,000 adults within the general population to estimate the percentage of employees with a known diagnosis of diabetes.

Step 4. Determine the total medical costs for employees without diabetes

A. Estimate the number of employees without diabetes.

Estimate the number of employees without diabetes by entering the total number of employees in column B.

A B C D
Age (Years) (Both Sexes) Total # of Employees Multiply by estimated percent of employees without diabetes Total estimate number of employees without diabetes (product of columns A and B)
20 - 44 93.5%
45 - 64 93.5%
over 65 93.5%

B. Find the total medical costs for people without diabetes.

Estimate the total medical costs for employees without diabetes by entering the total number of employees without diabetes in column B.

A B C D
Age (Years) (Both Sexes) Estimated # of Employees Without Diabetes Multiply by the average yearly medical cost for people without diabetes* Total medical costs for employees without diabetes in your company (product of columns A and B)
20 - 44 $1,659
45 - 64 $3,271
over 65 $7,171

Step 5. Assess Health Care Costs and the Need for Action

It may be helpful to compare the health care costs and use this as a call to action to improve outcomes.

Total Projected Health Care Costs:
Employees with diabetes for both diabetes related and non-diabetes related conditions
Total Projected Health Care Costs:
Employees without diabetes

THINGS TO CONSIDER

As you assess these general findings, ask yourself:

  • Does my company need to lower its costs associated with diabetes? _______
  • Would my employees benefit from some type of diabetes and/or other health promotion program? _______
  • Do I need to add to my company’s diabetes and health promotion activities or create new activities? _______

If you answered YES to any of these questions, go to the Planning Guide and create the diabetes and health education programs that best meet your needs.

Note: If you want to calculate all the diabetes-related costs for each employee, contact your health care plan about obtaining a list of codes for diabetes care from the International Classification of Diseases, 9th Revision, Clinical Modification (ICD-9 CM). The ICD-9 CM coding system is used to code signs, symptoms, injuries, diseases, and conditions. These codes help health care providers, health care consultants, and insurers to calculate medical costs.

* These costs reflect both diabetes- and non-diabetes-related care. People without diabetes also have health care costs. These costs are based on the ADA's 1997 Cost of Care Study.

SPECIAL POPULATIONS

Some populations have a higher incidence of diabetes. Data collected have indicated that African Americans, Mexican Americans, Asian/Pacific Islanders, and Native Americans have increased risk of diabetes.

As you consider creating health and wellness programs for your workforce, consider the diversity of backgrounds of your employee population and begin to understand that health and medical needs may vary. To help you begin to better understand how diabetes may be more prevalent in some populations, review the Prevalence Data on African Americans, Non-Hispanic Whites and Mexican Americans that was reported in the Third National Health and Nutritional Examination Survey 1988-1994 (NHANES III) Data on Prevalence of Diabetes.

Non-Hispanic White
Age (Years) Both sexes Men Women
20–39 1.0% 1.2% 0.9%
40–49 3.3% 3.0% 3.5%
50–59 7.5% 9.9% 5.3%
60–74 11.3% 10.9% 11.7%
Non-Hispanic Black
Age (Years) Both sexes Men Women
20–39 1.6% 1.6% 1.6%
40–49 6.2% 5.5% 6.7%
50–59 13.8% 13.0% 14.5%
60–74 20.9% 16.8% 23.9%
Mexican American
Age (Years) Both sexes Men Women
20–39 0.8% 0.5% 1.2%
40–49 7.3% 5.5% 9.2%
50–59 16.0% 15.5% 16.5%
60–74 24.4% 18.8% 29.0%
This page last modified: November 17, 2023
The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services’ National Diabetes Education Program is jointly sponsored by the National Institutes of Health and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention with the support of more than 200 partner organizations.