Diabetes

Diabetes is a devastating disease that is affected by interdependent genetic, social, economic, cultural, and historic factors. In the United States, nearly 26 million Americans are living with diabetes, and another 79 million Americans have prediabetes.1 This means almost one-third of the total U.S. population is affected by diabetes.

Diabetes is a high priority for The Office of Minority Health and Health Equity (OMHHE) because racial and ethnic minorities have a higher burden of diabetes, worse diabetes control and are more likely to experience complications (for example, among Hispanics, the death rate from diabetes is 50% higher than for non-Hispanic whites).Why? For minorities, the problem is a combination of risk factors. Lack of access to health care, socioeconomic status, cultural attitudes and behaviors can be barriers to preventing diabetes and having effective diabetes management once diagnosed. In addition, diabetes can progress faster in minority populations. This rapid progression can be compounded by a poor diet, obesity and a sedentary life.

The American Diabetes Association Alert Day is a one-day wake-up call to inform people about the dangers of diabetes, especially when left undiagnosed or untreated. The annual event, on the fourth Tuesday of March, is a reminder for people young and old to take the ADA’s Diabetes Risk TestExternal Link Disclaimer, which includes simple questions about your family history, weight, age and other potential risk factors for diabetes.

With these facts from the above accredited and government health sources, My Health Matters is focused on bringing attention to issues through symposiums, social media outreach and also providing ongoing education about the disease.