The Epidemic Behind the Pandemic

The Diabetes Foundation (DF), New Jersey’s premier not-for-profit organization for those living with diabetes, kicked off Diabetes Awareness month with a press conference last week at the New Jersey State House in Trenton. The organization’s month-long Band Together for Diabetes campaign is a statewide effort to galvanize New Jersey in the fight against a silent epidemic that continues to escalate in the Garden State. Public health officials and prominent state health equity advocates, including Senator Gordon Johnson, attended the press conference to address the scope of diabetes in New Jersey and how our government and the public and private sector can collaborate to address the growing diabetes numbers statewide.

All New Jersey residents, from Bergen County to Cape May, are at risk and vulnerable to diabetes. Diabetes is the sixth leading cause of death in the state, affecting 1 in 10 individuals. Despite ongoing prevention efforts, the CDC predicts that by 2050, 1 in 3 Americans will develop diabetes and a much larger percentage will be considered pre-diabetic. Diabetes disproportionately affects communities of color with rates among Hispanic/Latinx, African-American, and Asian-American growing significantly. Today, a Black adult is 60% more likely to be diagnosed with diabetes than an adult who is white.

The human toll of the disease, while most critical, is only one aspect. Healthcare costs are more than 230% higher for people with diabetes than those without, and approximately 645,000 people in New Jersey, or 9.2% of the adult population, have diagnosed diabetes. An additional 207,000 people in New Jersey have diabetes but do not know it. These “sleeping victims” of the epidemic, those uneducated and undiagnosed, face the biggest impact of the disease.

“Diabetes can far-reaching health effects. It can damage the eyes, kidneys, nerves, and heart,” said Ginine Cilenti, Executive Director of the Diabetes Foundation. “The long-term effects of diabetes, especially if it is unmanaged and untreated, includes damage to large and small blood vessels, which can lead to heart attack and stroke, and problems with the kidneys, eyes, feet and nerves. Diabetes is even linked to some types of cancer. For the un-diagnosed, they are literally risking life and limb.”

The good news is that diabetes can be prevented through educational efforts, and long-term effects of the disease can be minimized through early diagnosis and effective management of blood sugar. The Diabetes Foundation is dedicated to providing care options to those in need, providing education, and elevating the conversation about diabetes, all to support better health outcomes for the state. For more information about the DF’s Diabetes Awareness Month initiatives, please contact the Foundation at (201) 444-0337 or visit www.diabetesfoundationinc.org/... to donate or volunteer to support people in need.