Houston Fights Kidney Disease at American Kidney Fund's Kidney Action Day

ROCKVILLE, Md. (September 19, 2019) – More than 700 Houstonians took action for their health at the American Kidney Fund's (AKF) Kidney Action Day® in Houston on Sunday, Sept. 15 at Discovery Green, learning about their kidneys and the healthy lifestyle that can help prevent kidney disease, the nation's ninth-leading cause of death.

More than 200 participants took advantage of AKF's free kidney health screenings, checking for diabetes and high blood pressure, the two leading causes of kidney disease, as well as testing their kidney function. This was AKF's 9th Kidney Action Day in Houston.

Houston Kidney Action Day was a fun-filled, family-friendly event with a Houston Texans tailgate theme and a raffle for same-day Texans tickets. Tailgating games engaged the crowd and Kidney Action Day returning favorites Mixteco Ballet Folklorico provided entertainment. Local fitness instructors Sweatii, Fit4Lyfe, Tellepsen Family Downtown YMCA and Juana Hernandez were also on hand to provide demonstrations.

Chef Win from Cooking with Class taught Houstonians how to prepare kidney-friendly recipes, including recipes from Kidney Kitchen, AKF's one-stop shop for kidney patients and caregivers who want to take charge of eating healthy with kidney disease. A refreshing mocktail bar featured a signature drink from Kidney Kitchen.

More than 37 million Americans are living with chronic kidney disease (CKD), but the vast majority of them are unaware of it. In Greater Houston, more than 15,000 people are living with kidney failure — and more than 75% of them rely on dialysis to stay alive. African Americans, Hispanics and Asian Americans — who, combined, make up over 61% of the population of Greater Houston — are at increased risk for kidney disease and kidney failure, but public awareness of the disease is low.

Diabetes and high blood pressure are the leading causes of kidney disease and learning to control these underlying conditions is key to preventing kidney disease or keeping it from getting worse. Nearly 12% of Texans have been diagnosed with diabetes and over 32% with high blood pressure — both well above the national average for those diseases.

"Kidney disease is a serious health issue in Houston, and through our education and outreach events like Kidney Action Day, we're empowering Houstonians to fight for their health, the health of their families and friends, and for their community as a whole," said LaVarne A. Burton, president and CEO of the American Kidney Fund.

Kidney Action Day is the signature outreach event in AKF's Know Your Kidneys™ program, the nation's largest free kidney health screening program. Through Know Your Kidneys, AKF provided free health screenings to more than 11,000 people in 23 cities nationwide last year.

Houston Kidney Action Day was made possible through the generous support of Presenting National Screening Sponsor U.S. Renal Care, Regional Screening Sponsor Satellite Healthcare and National Screening Partner AnyLabs.