La Porte, IN 3-18-2011 – In support of Diabetes Alert Day, Indiana University Health La Porte Hospital offers free glucose screenings on Tuesday, March 22 from 7 am to noon at Walmart, 333 Boyd Blvd., La Porte.

According to the American Diabetes Association, the screening is highly recommended to identify risks for developing type 2 diabetes. There are 25.8 million children and adults in the nation who have diabetes, and 7 million Americans do not even know they have the disease. Approximately 79 million people have pre-diabetes, or are at risk for developing the disease.

Some risk factors include:

• Being overweight
• Being over the age of 45
• Having a sedentary lifestyle
• Having a family history of diabetes

For more information, call a certified diabetes educator at 219.326.2478 or toll free 800.235.6204, ext. 2478.