Champaign County Coalition Working to Cut Down on Diabetes

Different health care groups that recently formed a coalition determined to fight diabetes in Champaign County met Monday as part of a diabetes expo.

Coalition member Martha Paap said about seven percent of 18-to-64 year olds in Champaign County have type 2 diabetes. That translates to more than 11,000 people. Paap, who heads Provena's Center for Healthy Aging, said while that is slightly lower than the national average, she worries that number will rise.

"The kind of consequences to diabetes can be very, very serious such as heart disease, stroke, blindness, lower limb amputations, kidney problems," Paap said. "It can be a very devastating disease that we really need to prevent."

Theresa Truelove, a nurse with the Champaign-Urbana Public Health District, said many of these cases represent African Americans, Asians, and Hispanics, who moved to the United States from another country, and are adjusting to changes in their lifestyle.

"They go from potentially field work to office work or no work," Truelove said. "You've got the whole change of the activity levels of people as they come into our society, and that is in a way deadly for diabetes."

Some of the preventative measures to reduce the chances of diabetes include changes in diet and more physical activity. According to the International Diabetes Federation, at least one in 10 adults could have diabetes by 2030.