Americans are increasingly at-risk for diabetes, with pre-diabetes affecting nearly 16 million, and diabetes affecting another 18.2 million. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) reported a 61% increase in diabetes among Americans since 1990, projecting the number of diagnosed diabetes cases to double by the year 2050. While diabetes is receiving greater attention, the challenges in addressing the problem remain large and formidable. Social and cultural norms about food, industry marketing, time demands on working families, and the safety level of neighborhoods to allow for exercise and outdoor activities are just a few factors that have contributed to this major public health problem. It is a crisis affecting those of younger and younger ages, and a problem disproportionately impacting minority populations, including Asian Americans.
Findings from a NAWHO survey about diabetes showed that Americans are aware of the growing problem of diabetes and the linkages to obesity, our food culture, and other lifestyle issues, much due to aggressive efforts to educate the public about these health issues. However, Asian Americans are much less aware of these risk factors, and of the growing risk of obesity and diabetes for their children. A 2003 study by the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality found that 20% of Asian American children were overweight, and this is likely to increase given the national trend in obesity among American children. In addition, while obesity is a contributing factor to diabetes, common perceptions of what is overweight cannot be applied easily to Asian Americans due to their lower body mass index (BMI). A 2004 study in Diabetes Care found that prevalence of diabetes is 60% higher among Asian Americans than Caucasians, particularly when adjusting for the lower BMI of Asians. Awareness of racial differences in BMIs is a newly recognized factor that will be key to diabetes prevention education for this community.
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