Diabetes in the African American Community

• Diabetes is the sixth leading cause of death among all Americans. Approximately 2.8 million or 13% of all African Americans have diabetes. On average, African Americans are twice as likely to have diabetes as whites of a similar age.
• African Americans have a higher incidence of and greater rates of disability from diabetes complications such as heart attacks, kidney failure, vision loss, and amputations.
• Death rates for diabetics are 27 percent higher for African Americans compared with whites.

Women of Color and Diabetes

• African American women are more likely to have diabetes than African American men.
• Obesity is a major medical risk factor for diabetes in African Americans, especially for women.
• Nearly one out of three African American women ages 65 to 74 years have diabetes.
• Minority women are 2-4 times more likely than non-Hispanic white women to have type 2 diabetes.
• Studies have shown that gestational diabetes in African American women may be 50 to 80 percent more frequent than in white women.
• Gestational diabetes can affect mothers and unborn children. Once a woman has had gestational diabetes, she has an increased chance of developing diabetes in the future.

Children and Diabetes

• Compared to young boys, there is an increase in the number of young girls who are developing type 2 diabetes.
• Children whose mothers had diabetes during their pregnancies are more likely to become obese during childhood and adolescence and develop type 2 diabetes later in life.