Nonprofit to present data gathered from AKF’s national kidney health screening program, Know Your Kidneys™

BOSTON, May 09, 2019 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- The American Kidney Fund (AKF) today announced it will present three posters at the National Kidney Foundation’s (NKF) 2019 Spring Clinical Meetings this week. The three posters are based on data and insights gleaned from AKF’s Know Your Kidneys™ national kidney health screening program, which in 2018 provided free prevention services to more than 11,000 people at high risk for kidney disease.

The three AKF posters include:

• Trends of hypertension and hyperglycemia among younger and older participants at screening events in different regions of the U.S., Poster #229—highlighting the need for earlier education and intervention for diabetes and high blood pressure, the two leading causes of kidney disease.
• Focused educational screening improves knowledge of chronic kidney disease, Poster #262—highlighting the lack of broad knowledge of kidney disease and its risk factors among high-risk populations, and the effectiveness of AKF’s standardized educational sessions in changing knowledge outcomes.
• Differences in pre-existing knowledge of kidney disease amongst older and younger populations, Poster #228—highlighting the need for more robust education about kidney disease for younger populations, especially as its prevalence in younger Americans continues to grow.

“Conducting free kidney disease screenings in more than 20 cities nationwide each year gives AKF important insights into how best to educate those at risk for the disease, along with current data about diabetes and high blood pressure in the communities where we conduct these interventions,” said LaVarne A. Burton, president and CEO of AKF. “We look forward to sharing the knowledge gained through our Know Your Kidneys™ screening program with the broader kidney community as we lead the effort to change the trajectory of kidney disease in this country.”

AKF will present its posters on Thursday, May 9 from 6 to 7:30 p.m., and will be available to answer questions about them during this time. The posters will be accessible for viewing during breakfast (7 to 8:30 a.m.), lunch (noon to 2 p.m.) and the networking reception (5:30 to 7 p.m.) on May 10, as well as during breakfast (7 to 10 a.m.) on May 11. AKF will be on site throughout the conference to discuss the findings at booth #1124.

About the American Kidney Fund

As the nation’s leading independent nonprofit working on behalf of the 30 million Americans with kidney disease, the American Kidney Fund is dedicated to ensuring that every kidney patient has access to health care, and that every person at risk for kidney disease is empowered to prevent it. AKF provides a complete spectrum of programs and services: prevention outreach, top-rated health educational resources, and direct financial assistance enabling the nation’s low-income dialysis and transplant patients to access lifesaving medical care. AKF holds the highest ratings from the nation’s charity watchdog groups, including Charity Navigator, which includes AKF on its “top 10” list of nonprofits with the longest track records of outstanding stewardship of the donated dollar, and GuideStar, which has awarded AKF its Platinum Seal of Transparency.

For more information, please visit KidneyFund.org, or connect with us on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.  

Alice Andors
American Kidney Fund
240-292-7053
aandors@kidneyfund.org