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Essay On Type 2 Diabetes

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TYPE II DIABETES IN AFRICAN AMERICANS
KIN 644 – ADVANCED EXERCISE TESTING AND PRESCRIPTION
ANNELISE DAVIES
DECEMBER 6, 2016

INTRODUCTION

Over the past few decades, there has been an increased concern about diabetes and its effects on minority populations. Type II Diabetes is also referred to as “adult onset diabetes”, and is a condition where the body does not regulate blood glucose effectively and resists insulin. This does not allow for glucose to get into the cells of fat tissue, the liver, and muscle cells and therefore they cannot function optimally. The National Center for Health Statistics reported that in 2012, African Americans had the highest amount of new reported cases of Type II diabetes when compared to all other racial and ethnic populations, and the second highest amount of overall diabetes diagnosis at 13.2%.1,2 In 2012, type II diabetes was the sixth-leading cause of death in the United States, and African Americans are nearly two times more likely to develop diabetes. More than 50% of all new diabetes cases are developed in African American populations, with a 27% higher mortality rate than Caucasians.1

EPIDEMIOLOGY Over the past 30 years, the rate of diabetes in African American populations has tripled. Prevalence of diabetes in adults is 1.4 times as frequent in African Americans as in Caucasians. The increased prevalence is not dependent on gender.2 Additionally, nearly half of adults who meet the criteria for

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