|
Almost one million adults (7.6% of the adult population) have been diagnosed with diabetes in Florida (2002). Diabetes is the sixth leading cause of death within the state (2002). Diabetes is the leading cause of blindness in adults, end-stage renal disease and lower extremity amputations. Data indicates that those who have diabetes are older, heavier, more than twice as likely to be black and have lower income and educational status. In 2002, the prevalence of obesity (a risk factor for diabetes) was highest among non-Hispanic blacks (34.8), followed closely by non-Hispanic whites (21.4%) and Hispanics (18.6%). 9,000 Floridians dies each year due to complications of diabetes.
Racial and ethnic minorities experience some of the worst complications of diabetes. For example, non-hispanic blacks over the age of 65 are 4.5 times more likely to have a lower extremity amputation than non-Hispanic whites. Among Medicare beneficiaries, African Americans with diabetes are one third less likely than their white counterparts to have an eye care visit (Wang and Javitt, 1996). These data suggest inadequate access to preventative health care among low income diabetics which in turn is related to difficulty in obtaining indigent care, child care, transportation, and paying medical bills as well as higher prevalence of health risk behaviors. The economic burden of diabetes in Florida was over 600 million dollars for Medicare alone in 1996-97. In Florida 39% of Dialysis patients have diabetes (About 14,000 Diabetics). One year of dialysis costs about $20,000 per person. |
Data and Statistics |
