Age, race, income level and obesity are all risk factors for a diabetes diagnosis.
Type 2 diabetes increased by about 20% Between 2012 and 2022, New Research From the University of Georgia.
The researchers found that diabetes was increasing across all sociodemographic groups, but non-Hispanic blacks were particularly affected by the disease, with just under 16 percent of black study participants reporting being diagnosed with type 2 diabetes.
More than one in five people over 65 had diabetes. This age group was more than 10 times more likely to be diagnosed with diabetes than those aged 18 to 24. People aged 45 to 64 were more than five times more likely to be diagnosed with diabetes.
The study also found that diabetes prevalence was significantly higher in low-income groups than in high-income groups, who were 41% less likely to be diagnosed with the disease, and those with a college education were 24% less likely to be diagnosed with the disease.
Surakshan Newpane
“Diabetes is increasing every day in the United States and will continue to increase in the coming years.” Surakshan Newpanelead author of the study and a doctoral student at the University of Georgia. Faculty of Agricultural and Environmental Sciences“The cost of diabetes, including medical expenses and indirect costs such as lost productivity, is approximately $412 billion. That's a huge amount of money, and it's only going to increase as more people are diagnosed with diabetes.”
Southern and Midwestern people are especially susceptible to diabetes
The researchers used data from the nationally representative Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System, a continuing health survey of more than 400,000 people.
They used the same data set paper The paper, published in April in the American Journal of Preventive Medicine, highlighted the economic burden of type 2 diabetes and the increased prevalence of the disease during the same study period.
The researchers found regional differences in diabetes prevalence, in addition to other risk factors.
While risk factors like age and race cannot be changed, there are things you can do to lower your risk of diabetes, such as maintaining an active lifestyle and losing weight.” — Surakshan Neupane, College of Agricultural and Environmental Sciences
The South and Midwest in particular will see significant increases in the number of people with type 2 diabetes, with Arkansas, Kentucky and Nebraska reporting the largest increases between 2012 and 2022.
Ten states saw increases of 25 percent or more over the 10-year study period: Arkansas, Kentucky, Nebraska, Texas, Alabama, Minnesota, Illinois, West Virginia, Delaware and Massachusetts.
“Policy makers and public health officials need to focus on these areas as they are at higher risk of developing diabetes,” Neupane said.
The South and Midwest saw a steep increase in the prevalence of type 2 diabetes between 2012 and 2022. (Graphic by Kaya Plagenhof)
Overweight and obese people are more likely to develop diabetes
Overweight and obese participants were also more likely to report having been diagnosed with type 2 diabetes: About one in five obese people reported having the disease in 2022, compared with one in 10 overweight participants.
Physical activity appears to be somewhat protective against diabetes, with prevalence rates of less than 10% in physically active people compared with nearly 19% in less active people.
“It's important to identify these risk factors and take action to reduce them,” says Neupan. “Be more active. Pay more attention to your physical health. While you can't change risk factors like age or race, there are things you can do to lower your risk of diabetes, like eating a healthy diet, maintaining an active lifestyle and losing weight.”
Published in the Journal of Diabetes, Obesity and Metabolism the study The paper was co-authored by Wojciech Florkowski of the University of Georgia's Department of Agricultural and Applied Economics, and Uttam Dhakal and Chandra Dhakal of the Atlanta CDC.
