News & Information
Diabetes Press Releases from CDC
| October 22 , 2001 |
Contact:
Mary Kay Sones, 770-488-5131 |
CDC to Convene Task Force on Diabetes and Women
New Report Defines Diabetes as a Women's Health Issue
Diabetes affects almost every family in America, and according to the Centers
for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), the burden of this disease is particularly
heavy for women. Today, CDC launched a new initiative to focus national attention
on the unique impact diabetes has on women's health and how it can affect future
generations.
At a special news conference on the opening day of the annual meeting of the
American Public Health Association (APHA), a cosponsor of the initiative, Dr.
Frank Vinicor, director of CDC's diabetes program, outlined the three phases
of the initiative beginning with the release of CDC's new report, Diabetes
and Women's Health Across the Life Stages: A Public Health Perspective.
This report focuses on the specific issues that make diabetes a serious women's
health issue during adolescence and the reproductive, middle, and elder years.
"This is the first time diabetes has been characterized as a women's health
issue," Vinicor said. "We have found that diabetes poses great challenges
for women, and the risk factors for the disease are growing in such epidemic
proportions that if we do not act soon, the problem will be even larger in the
years ahead."
Also speaking at the press conference was Paralympic gold medal cyclist Pamala
Fernandes who has had diabetes since age 4 and eventually lost her eyesight
to the disease. She recounted her experiences growing up with diabetes and the
challenges she faced as a world-class athlete.
"I truly believe that all the things that have happened to me were for
a reason," she said. "It has given me strength and allowed me to teach
others from my experiences." Fernandes has spoken nationally on diabetes
on behalf of the American Diabetes Association (ADA).
The second phase of the initiative will be to develop a national public health
action plan that will raise public awareness and outline programs to prevent
and control diabetes in women. A task force of national health experts will
convene in Washington, DC, November 1, to begin work on the plan. Phase three
of the initiative will be to hold the first-ever national conference on diabetes
and women's health. The conference is expected to take place in 2002.
In addition to APHA, ADA and the American Association of State and Territorial
Health Officials (ASTHO) are also cosponsoring the initiative.
According to CDC, diabetes has been increasing in epidemic proportions in the
United States. Diagnosed diabetes (including gestational diabetes) among women
has increased almost 50 percent over the past decade. The prevalence of type
2 diabetes is at least 2 to 4 times higher among black, Hispanic, American Indian,
Asian and Pacific Island women.
Approximately 800,000 new cases of diabetes are diagnosed each year. The two
most common types of diabetes are type 1 (previously called juvenile-onset)
and type 2 (previously called adult-onset). Between 90-95 percent of cases are
type 2, and older age, obesity, and family history are the main risk factors.
Diabetes is the seventh leading cause of death in this country and a major contributor
to such health problems as heart disease, stroke, blindness, kidney disease,
and nontraumatic leg and foot amputations.
The report is available at http://www.cdc.gov/diabetes/pubs/online.htm.
For information on other diabetes topics, please visit CDC's Web site at http://www.cdc.gov/diabetes
or call toll free 1-800-CDC-INFO
1-888-232-6348 TTY
1-800-CDC-INFO
1-888-232-6348 TTY .
###
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) protects people's health
and safety by preventing and controlling diseases and injuries; enhances health
decisions by providing credible information on critical health issues; and promotes
healthy living through strong partnerships with local, national, and international
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