Health by Numbers

Diabetes is the seventh leading cause of death in the UnitedStates and often leads to heart disease, stroke, blindness, or amputation of the leg or foot.1 In Rhode Island, diabetes was the underlying cause of death for 266 deaths during 1996 and was a contributing cause through its complications for another 693 deaths.2 The prevalence of diabetes has been increasing in recent de-cades at near epidemic rates. Nationally approximately 8.5 mil-lion persons (3.2 % of the population) were diagnosed with diabetes in 1996. Between 1980 and 1996 the prevalence of diagnosed diabetes increased by 2.7 million persons, representing an increase of 19 % in the age-adjusted prevalence rate.3 For every two cases of diabetes that are diagnosed, there is an additional case that has not been diagnosed. As of the year 2000, an estimated 70,000 Rhode Islanders ages 18 and older had diabetes (with 46,000 cases diagnosed). Type 2 diabetes represents 95 % of all cases of dia-betes. There is a strong association between obesity and the development of Type 2 diabetes.4 Obesity has been increasing both nationally and in Rhode Island, and research has shown that lifestyle change, including weight loss and physical activity, can reduce the inci-dence of diabetes in high-risk populations.