By Hristina Byrnes, 24/7 Wall St. via The Center Square
About one in 10 Americans, or 34.2 million people, live with diabetes, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention data through 2018. And one in three people in the country — or 88 million adults — have prediabetes, which is higher than normal blood sugar level that can turn into diabetes if left untreated.
There are three types of diabetes: Type 1, Type 2, and gestational. People with Type 1 diabetes, comprising about 5%-10% of diabetes cases, make very little or no insulin — a hormone that helps regulate blood sugar levels in the body. People with Type 2 diabetes, comprising the majority of cases, may produce insulin but don’t use it well. The third type, gestational diabetes, develops in pregnant women and usually disappears after childbirth.
New cases of Type 2 diabetes have been skyrocketing among young people, and the overall rates of the chronic condition have been on the rise in every state over the last several years.
Georgia is the state with the largest increase in diabetes diagnosed in people over 20 between 2008 and 2017. In 2008, 8.3% of adults had diabetes, the 21st highest prevalence rate of all states. In 2017, the share of adults 20 and over with diabetes rose to 12.0%, the 12th highest rate.
Several factors may increase the risk of Type 2 diabetes. The ones that cannot be controlled are age and family history. Those that can be controlled include a sedentary lifestyle and a healthy diet. Obesity is a leading risk factor for Type 2 diabetes.
Obesity and severe obesity trends have generally increased over the past decade. In Georgia, specifically, the adult obesity rate in 2008 was 28.1%, the 21st highest rate of all states. Almost a decade later, in 2017, 32.3% of adults in Georgia were obese, the 21st highest rate.
To determine the states with the highest increase in people with diabetes in a decade, 24/7 Wall St. reviewed 2011 and 2021 diabetes data from County Health Rankings & Roadmaps, a Robert Wood Johnson Foundation and University of Wisconsin Population Health Institute joint program. The data released in the 2011 and 2021 reports are for years 2008 and 2017, respectively. This is how much diabetes has risen in every state in a decade.
| State | Diabetes prevalence in 2008 | Diabetes prevalence in 2017 | Adult obesity rate in 2008 | Adult obesity rate in 2017 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Massachusetts | 8.4% | 8.7% | 22.9% | 25.0% |
| Utah | 6.6% | 7.5% | 24.2% | 27.0% |
| Idaho | 8.3% | 9.3% | 25.6% | 29.0% |
| New Jersey | 8.9% | 9.9% | 24.0% | 27.0% |
| Florida | 9.5% | 10.8% | 24.4% | 27.2% |
| Maryland | 9.8% | 11.1% | 27.3% | 31.6% |
| Connecticut | 7.7% | 9.2% | 22.3% | 26.3% |
| California | 7.2% | 8.8% | 22.8% | 24.3% |
| New Hampshire | 8.0% | 9.6% | 25.7% | 28.6% |
| Maine | 8.8% | 10.4% | 26.0% | 29.8% |
| Tennessee | 10.9% | 12.5% | 31.2% | 33.3% |
| Louisiana | 11.4% | 13.0% | 31.5% | 36.3% |
| Mississippi | 12.9% | 14.6% | 34.3% | 39.1% |
| Montana | 7.2% | 8.9% | 23.3% | 27.1% |
| Colorado | 4.8% | 6.6% | 18.7% | 22.4% |
| Wyoming | 7.2% | 9.0% | 25.0% | 29.2% |
| Washington | 7.5% | 9.3% | 26.6% | 28.6% |
| North Dakota | 7.6% | 9.4% | 28.2% | 33.9% |
| Arizona | 7.8% | 9.6% | 23.8% | 27.9% |
| Oregon | 7.9% | 9.7% | 25.1% | 29.3% |
| Michigan | 9.2% | 11.0% | 30.6% | 32.4% |
| Vermont | 6.9% | 8.8% | 22.9% | 27.0% |
| Alaska | 6.4% | 8.3% | 27.9% | 31.9% |
| North Carolina | 9.5% | 11.5% | 28.7% | 32.3% |
| South Carolina | 11.3% | 13.3% | 30.0% | 34.0% |
| Wisconsin | 7.4% | 9.5% | 28.2% | 31.7% |
| Rhode Island | 8.0% | 10.1% | 24.0% | 28.5% |
| Kentucky | 10.6% | 12.7% | 31.2% | 34.6% |
| New York | 7.9% | 10.1% | 24.5% | 26.4% |
| Nevada | 8.1% | 10.5% | 25.4% | 27.1% |
| Ohio | 9.8% | 12.2% | 29.5% | 33.5% |
| Pennsylvania | 8.6% | 11.0% | 28.1% | 30.8% |
| Delaware | 9.2% | 11.8% | 28.5% | 32.4% |
| Indiana | 9.5% | 12.1% | 29.7% | 33.9% |
| Alabama | 11.9% | 14.5% | 31.9% | 36.1% |
| Oklahoma | 9.6% | 12.3% | 30.2% | 34.5% |
| South Dakota | 7.4% | 10.1% | 28.6% | 32.4% |
| West Virginia | 12.3% | 15.1% | 31.5% | 37.8% |
| Minnesota | 5.7% | 8.5% | 26.2% | 29.0% |
| Illinois | 7.1% | 9.9% | 26.3% | 29.7% |
| New Mexico | 6.6% | 9.5% | 22.9% | 27.3% |
| Kansas | 7.6% | 10.5% | 29.0% | 33.0% |
| Virginia | 7.8% | 10.7% | 26.9% | 30.5% |
| Hawaii | 8.2% | 11.1% | 21.2% | 24.6% |
| Nebraska | 6.9% | 10.0% | 28.5% | 33.4% |
| Iowa | 6.5% | 9.9% | 28.1% | 34.3% |
| Missouri | 8.0% | 11.4% | 30.1% | 32.5% |
| Arkansas | 10.0% | 13.5% | 30.3% | 35.0% |
| Texas | 6.5% | 10.2% | 27.0% | 31.4% |
| Georgia | 8.3% | 12.0% | 28.1% | 32.3% |
