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News Release

HHS ISSUES NATIONAL PLAN TO REDUCE IMPACT OF DIABETES ON WOMEN
Effort Launched On Annual American Diabetes Alert Day

HHS Secretary Tommy G. Thompson today introduced a national plan to address the growing health epidemic of diabetes in women. Diabetes is the sixth leading cause of death in the United States and is a major contributor to heart disease, the number one killer of women.

"We need to change the way we think about diabetes with an eye on preventing the disease in women throughout their lives and on reducing disease-related complications for the more than 9 million American women who already have the disease," Secretary Thompson said. "We need to help women understand the disease and what they can do to take care of themselves. This new effort shares a common philosophy with our broader prevention initiative, Steps to a Healthier US, which includes a special focus on reducing diabetes."

The National Agenda for Public Health Action: The National Public Health Initiative on Diabetes and Women's Health is designed to mobilize the nation to address diabetes as a growing health concern. It calls for expanding community-based health education programs, promoting risk assessment, supporting quality care and self-management for diabetes and its complications and encouraging research into the factors that influence diabetes and women's health.

With the increasing lifespan of women, the rapid growth of minority, racial, and ethnic populations in the United States -- who are hardest hit by the diabetes burden -- and the apparent increase in new cases of diabetes among younger women in their adolescent years, the number of women at high risk for diabetes and its complications continues to increase.

"This plan offers a vision of a nation in which diabetes in women is prevented or at least delayed whenever possible," said Dr. Julie Gerberding, director of HHS' Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). "Given the dramatic increases in newly diagnosed diabetes cases and associated health risks such as obesity and heart disease, it is essential that we bring diabetes under control and make this vision a reality."

Secretary Thompson announced the national today agenda with representatives from other national organizations that are working to implement it, including the American Diabetes Association (ADA), the Association of State and Territorial Health Officials (ASTHO) and the American Public Health Association (APHA). The announcement coincides with American Diabetes Alert Day, an annual ADA-sponsored call-to-action for people to find out if they are at risk for diabetes.

The goal of this national partnership is to address the growing problem of diabetes in women and create a nation in which:

• Diabetes in women is prevented or at least delayed whenever possible;
• Women at risk for diabetes receive the family and community support they need to prevent or delay diabetes and its complications;
• Appropriate care and disease management of diabetes is promoted across their life stages;
• Complications from diabetes are prevented, delayed, or minimized.

"Diabetes touches everyone. Whether diabetes is a personal battle, or affects a family member, neighbor or friend, this disease affects all of us," said Dr. Francine R. Kaufman, president of ADA. "It is essential that we, where possible, prevent new diabetes cases and help those who already have the disease to prevent serious complications."

Implementation of the National Agenda relies on the effective collaboration among many partners. The co-sponsors will be seeking to engage public and private health care organizations, business and industry; education, communication and media, and policy makers at local, state, and federal levels in implementing the key strategies.

Actor Dorian Gregory, who co-hosts the nationally syndicated talk show, "The Other Half," participated in today's announcement. "As a diabetic with others in my family who have suffered from this disease, I feel passionately about educating the public, especially women, who suffer disproportionately from it. I am grateful to be a part of Secretary Thompson's new initiative."

According to CDC, diabetes has increased to epidemic proportions in the United States. Diagnosed diabetes (including gestational diabetes) among women has increased almost 50 percent during the past decade. The prevalence of type 2 diabetes is at least two-to-four times higher in Black, Hispanic, American Indian, Asian, and Pacific Island women than in whites.

CDC estimates that more than 17 million Americans have diabetes, and about 6 million are undiagnosed. About 1 million new cases of diabetes are diagnosed each year. The total economic cost of diabetes in the United States was estimated to be $132 billion annually in 2002, according to ADA. In addition, an estimated 16 million Americans have pre-diabetes and can reduce their risks of developing the disease by losing a modest amount of weight and increasing their physical activity levels.

The National Agenda is available at http://www.cdc.gov/diabetes/pubs/english.htm. For information on other diabetes topics, please visit CDC's Web site at http://www.cdc.gov/diabetes or call toll free 877-CDC-DIAB (877-232-3422) or through the American Diabetes Association at http://www.diabetes.org.

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Last Revised: March 25, 2003