Relevant Population Characteristics for Diabetes Prevalence

Relevant Population Characteristics

Anyone can develop diabetes, but the risk for developing type 2 diabetes is greater for those who are older, overweight or obese, physically inactive, and/or a member of a minority racial or ethnic group. As the Utah population ages, and as the proportion of high-risk minority ethnic and racial groups in the population increases, a greater percentage of Utahns will be at risk for developing diabetes. There is considerable variation in prevalence by race and ethnicity. According to a CDC report on diabetes in the U.S., 7.4 percent of non-Hispanic White persons aged 18 or older have diabetes (age-adjusted prevalence). Members of the American Indian/Alaskan Native population are more than twice as likely to have diabetes as non-Hispanic White persons. About 15 percent (15.1%) of people in this group have been diagnosed. High prevalence is also seen in the non-Hispanic Black population, where the percentage diagnosed is 12.7 percent among adults aged 18 and over. Twelve percent (12.1%) of Hispanics aged 18 and older have diagnosed diabetes. Among non-Hispanic Asians aged 18 and older the age-adjusted rate of diagnosed diabetes is 8.0. (See ''[https://www.cdc.gov/diabetes/pdfs/data/statistics/national-diabetes-statistics-report.pdf National Diabetes Statistics Report, 2017]'').