Your Wellness Portal Has a Login Page Nobody Visits
About 15 in 100 US adults have diabetes and 44 in 100 have prediabetes, and about 8 in 10 people with prediabetes don’t know it. Workplace programmes rarely fail on intent; they fail because people stop opening them. Immediate feedback, real clinicians and strong privacy are what keep people engaged.
Most employers already offer something for metabolic health: a portal, a step challenge, an annual screening. Far fewer can say how many people still use it six months in.
How many employees have diabetes or prediabetes?
| Out of every 100 US adults | How many | Unaware |
|---|---|---|
| Diabetes | About 15 | More than 1 in 4 |
| Prediabetes | About 44 | About 8 in 10 |
Figures are CDC counts (40.1 million people with diabetes in 2023, 27.6% undiagnosed; 115.2 million adults with prediabetes) as a share of the US adult population. Medical costs for people with diagnosed diabetes run about 2.6 times higher than they would be without it. In India, a national survey estimated 101 million people living with diabetes and 136 million with prediabetes.
The striking number is the unaware share. Prediabetes is the stage where change is easiest, and most people in it don’t know.
Why workplace programmes go unused
Usually for three reasons. It’s another app, and the launch email is the last time anyone opens it. It gives advice without feedback, and “eat better” changes little until someone sees what their own lunch does to their glucose. And there’s nobody real on the other end, when what people want is a doctor who knows their numbers.
What keeps people using one
- A glucose sensor and app, so feedback is immediate.
- A doctor and dietitian who see the same data, and a coach who replies within a day.
- Lab tests through local labs, so the 3-month check-ins actually happen.
- Working where people already work: some will prefer to connect their own data to Claude or ChatGPT.
Privacy is what gets people to join
Employers should see group results, not anyone’s health data. Each person decides what to share and with whom. Without that, people don’t sign up. See the employer programme.
This guide is for education. Each person’s care stays with their own doctor.
Common questions
How many adults have prediabetes?
The CDC estimates 115.2 million US adults, about 44 in 100, and about 8 in 10 of them don’t know it.
Why do workplace wellness programmes fail?
Mostly low ongoing use: another app to open, advice without personal feedback, and no real clinician on the other end.
Can an employer see an employee’s glucose?
In a well-designed programme, no. Employers see group results only, and each person controls what they share.
Sources
- CDC. National Diabetes Statistics Report (updated September 2026)
- CDC. Prediabetes: Could It Be You? (prediabetes statistics)
- American Diabetes Association. Economic Costs of Diabetes in the U.S. in 2022. Diabetes Care 2024
- Anjana RM et al. Metabolic non-communicable disease health report of India: the ICMR-INDIAB national cross-sectional study. Lancet Diabetes Endocrinol 2023
Last updated: . Educational information, not medical advice. Talk to your doctor before changing your treatment.