US Diabetes trends in the wrong direction

Diabetes is a leading cause of disability and mortality in the US and is growing in prevalence internationally. Care for it accounts for 24% of all US healthcare spending at over $237 billion, impacting employee health benefit spend, and an additional $90 billion in reduced work productivity. This recently published JAMA study described some alarming trends, based upon the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES) data set. Age-standardized prevalence of diabetes increased significantly, from 9.8% in 1999-2000 to 14.3% in 2017-2018. This is a 45% increase in proportion in nearly 20 years. Even more disturbing is only 1 in 5 adults achieved a reduction in risk factors related to hemoglobin A_1c targets, blood pressure levels, and low-density lipoprotein cholesterol levels. This has significant implications for workplace health and productivity strategies, as well as public health approaches. Learn more here.