New CDC Report Says Nearly 30 Million Americans Have Diabetes

A batch of new figures from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention is saying that 9.3 percent or close to 30 million Americans are living with diabetes. Deb Jolly, a Registered Nurse and Diabetes Educator at Portneuf Medical Center, says the numbers paint a bleak picture for the health of our nation. “You can look at some of the statistics and say ‘this is the first generation that will have a lower level of health than their parents,” Jolly says. According to the National Diabetes Statistics Report for 2014 issued by the CDC, of the 29.1 million in the United States with diabetes a little over eight million are undiagnosed. Looking at those older than 20 years-of-age, a total of 12.3 percent of people have the disease. Digging a little deeper, the numbers say the 20 to 44 years-old segment of the population is at 4.1 percent, 45 to 64 years-old is 16.2 percent and 65 years-and-older sees a quarter of the population with the disease. Of all those figures, close to 14 percent of men and just over 11 percent of women have diabetes. There are also those who Jolly calls borderline and if you think you’re at risk for the disease there are a few simple steps you can take to fight the disease. “You can back that up, even the people who are diagnosed with diabetes can back up the process of the disease with diet, exercise, weight management, and just really being careful with their health,” Jolly explained. Using the CDC’s percentage of population figure of 9.3 percent, we find that nearly 150,000 Idahoans are living with diabetes.