Diabetes Rates Double, Triple in Some States

U.S. diabetes rates are getting worse faster in some states than others, a study shows. The fastest growth was in Oklahoma. Diabetes rates there tripled in 15 years. Southern states also had big increases. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) did the study. It was based on phone surveys of adults done in 1995 and 2010. People were asked if a doctor had ever told them they had diabetes. Nationwide, about 8% said yes. Several states exceeded that nationwide average. Mississippi, which has the nation’s highest obesity rate, also had the top diabetes rate, almost 12% in 2010. Oklahoma’s rate jumped to 10% in 2010. In several Southern states, the rates doubled. They rose to more than 9% in Kentucky, 10% in Georgia and 11% in Alabama. The CDC’s Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report published the study. The Associated Press wrote about it November 15.