The prevalence of diagnosed diabetes increased in all U.S. states, the District of Columbia, and Puerto Rico between 1995 and 2010, according to a study from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). During that time, the prevalence of diagnosed diabetes increased by 50 percent or more in 42 states, and by 100 percent or more in 18 states.
The report, appearing in CDC’s Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report, finds that states with the largest increases are Oklahoma (226 percent), Kentucky (158 percent), Georgia (145 percent), Alabama (140 percent), and Washington (135 percent).
The study, which uses data from the Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System – an annual telephone survey of health behaviors and conditions of US adults aged 18 and older – found that the prevalence of diagnosed diabetes in 2010 was 10 percent or more in six states and Puerto Rico.
“In 1995 only three states, the District of Columbia and Puerto Rico had a diagnosed diabetes prevalence of 6 percent or more. By 2010, all 50 states had a prevalence of more than 6 percent,” said Ann Albright, Ph.D., R.D., director of CDC’s Division of Diabetes Translation. “These rates will continue to increase until effective interventions and policies are implemented to prevent both diabetes and obesity.”
Type 2 diabetes, which may be prevented through lifestyle changes, accounts for 90 percent to 95 percent of all diabetes cases in the United States. CDC and its partners are working on a variety of initiatives to prevent type 2 diabetes and to reduce complications in those already diagnosed…
Finish reading Diagnosed diabetes grows at a dramatic rate throughout the United States
