The number of Idahoans diagnosed with diabetes has tripled in the past decade ¡V used to combat diabetes in Idaho is the state’s diabetes program. …
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FOR YOUR INFORMATION 11/01/2008
Idaho Spokesman Review, Saturday, Nov 1, 2008 by John Stucke 2 pages
Diabetes rates soar in Idaho
The number of Idahoans diagnosed with diabetes has tripled in the past decade V outpacing soaring rates of the disease in other states The numbers are part of a national diabetes study released this week by the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention They are especially disturbing to health officials in a state with high numbers of uninsured, feeble funding for education and prevention efforts, and outdated data collection practices that rely on surveys reaching only residents who have landline phones and who are willing to admit they suffer from a disease closely linked to obesity Its very concerning, said Mimi Hartman-Cunningham, diabetes control and prevention program manager for the Idaho Department of Health and Welfare The state had a 216 percent increase in diabetes cases during the past 10 years, compared with an 87 percent increase in Washington Ive talked to three of our analysts, and were all at a loss of why Idaho is standing out, Hartman-Cunningham said
Records show 63 percent of Idahoans are overweight About 8 percent, or 86,000 of the states adults, are diabetic, the state says Idaho doesnt track childhood diabetes With diabetes rates growing nationally, health officials are especially worried about what they say is a tidal wave of new cases and costs facing government and private insurers and hospitals Diabetes can cause health problems including heart disease, kidney disease, vision loss and poor circulation that can necessitate limb amputations In Washington state, 30 percent of adults are considered pre-diabetic, meaning they have a fasting glucose level between 100 and 125 An additional 8 percent are diabetic If the large group of pre-diabetics arent helped and they become diabetic, it will have a grave impact on the health care system, said Jennifer Polello, health education manager at Inland Northwest Health Services, of Spokane In Idaho, the state asks an extra question during telephone surveys to calculate pre-diabetes levels among residents, said Hartman-Cunningham, of the Idaho health department We ask, Have you been told that you are pre-diabetic?| Hartman-Cunningham said Thats how we come up with our numbers Those
numbers are far below the new national estimates Idaho operates diabetes programs under the assumption that pre-diabetes numbers stand at 56,000, about 3 percent of the adult population Washington estimates 30 percent of its adult population is pre-diabetic The money used to combat diabetes in Idaho is lagging, too The CDC provided 371,000 in federal funds to pay for the states diabetes program Idaho contributed no funds of its own; its program has the equivalent of 175 fulltime employees Diabetes 1
Emily Simnitt, an Idaho health department spokeswoman, said the states program works closely with insurers, hospitals, health districts and other providers on diabetes education and prevention Linda Karlgaard, a nurse educator for the Panhandle Health District, named several factors driving the rise in diabetes: More residents are aware of the link between diabetes and obesity, and are seeking treatment; the glucose level thats considered diabetic has changed in the past decade; and the states population has grown Spokane numbers are in line with national statistics About 76 percent of adults are diabetic Thats 25,226 people, according to numbers from the Spokane Regional Health
District Across the board, this is of real concern, said Marcelle Thurston, diabetes prevention and control program manager for the Washington Department of Health
Diabetes 2
Source:health.state.nm.us
