While people with type 2 diabetes understand what steps are needed to manage their condition, many are challenged by the demands of doing so, according to a new Health Union syndicated research study, Type 2 Diabetes In America.

Respondents used words like “frustrating,” “challenging,” “annoying,” “difficult,” and “inconvenient” to describe the condition, which research shows is increasingly prevalent and largely preventable. Many survey participants agreed on the need to be more physically active and make changes in their diet, but reported their condition can be difficult to control. Challenges cited include the use of several medications, dietary restrictions, regular exercise, and other lifestyle changes.

A recent U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) report revealed more than 100 million U.S. adults are now living with diabetes or pre-diabetes. According to the CDC, as of 2015, 30.3 million Americans, or 9.4 percent of the U.S. population, have diabetes – with type 2 diabetes accounting for 90 to 95 percent of cases. CDC research also finds another 84.1 million have pre-diabetes, a condition that if not treated often leads to type 2 diabetes within five years.

Patients rely heavily on their healthcare provider’s recommendation regarding treatment decisions and changes to treatment plans, according to the survey. Frequent topics of conversation within past six months included:

• Goals in managing type 2 diabetes (59 percent);
• How/when to take medication (59 percent);
• Exercise (58 percent); and
• Diet and healthy eating (55 percent).

Most patients surveyed said they have tried to make lifestyle changes since their diagnosis, including reducing sugar intake (81 percent); taking medications regularly (79 percent); counting/reducing carbohydrates (69 percent); and adding/improving regular exercise (51 percent).

Among the biggest obstacles respondents identified to managing their condition were controlling food cravings, exercising, and eating healthy when at someone else’s home or at a restaurant.

Nearly all (94 percent) of respondents reported other health conditions in addition to type 2 diabetes, including overweight/obesity (56 percent); hypertension/high blood pressure (55 percent); high cholesterol/triglycerides (49 percent); arthritis (32 percent); and neuropathy (32 percent).

Three-quarters of respondents said they test their blood sugar at least once per day, but among those who test their blood sugar at any frequency, only 54 percent said they were certain they were testing at the appropriate time of day.

Despite undertaking positive actions, many respondents report their belief that family and friends, and often their physicians, don’t understand what it’s like to have type 2 diabetes and they consequently feel overwhelmed by the demands of managing it.