A state-by-state look at the rise in diabetes
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Diabetes is up -- way up -- in the United States.
And if that doesn’t surprise, the state-specific information might. Using national survey data, analyzed by state, researchers from the federal Centers for Disease Control and Prevention found that incidence of the disease increased among adults by more than 90% in the last 10 years.
That’s a rise from 4.8 cases per 1,000 people in a 1995-97 survey to 9.1 cases per 1,000 people in a 2005-07 survey. Obesity was one of the main causes.
California’s rate increased 36%. That increase was one of the lowest and may not seem too horrifying, most things considered (Idaho’s rate increased by 216%, Texas’ rate by 208% and Florida’s by 203%), until you also consider that California’s age-adjusted rate is 9.0, just under the national 9.1 rate. Apparently, other states are simply catching up.
The report says:
‘Development and delivery of interventions that promote weight loss and increased physical activity among persons at high risk for diabetes are needed to reduce the diabetes incidence. Also needed are public health interventions, including environmental and policy changes (e.g., creating or enhancing parks, walking trails, and access to healthier foods) that encourage healthy lifestyles and maintenance of healthy weight to prevent obesity and reduce the risk for diabetes.’
At this rate, we all may want to consider the prospect (and impact) of the diabetes numbers a decade from now.
-- Tami Dennis