Type 2 diabetes and people with disabilities
About 1 in 6 people with disabilities (16.2%) in the United States in 2020 had been diagnosed with diabetes, compared to 1 in 14 people without disabilities (7.5%). Differences are also seen across various states, races/ethnicities, and age groups. For example, diabetes is more common among people with disabilities living in Mississippi (about 1 in 5, or 18.8%) compared to those living in South Dakota (about 1 in 10, or 10.1%).1
You are at risk of developing type 2 diabetes if:
- He has prediabetes.
- They are overweight.
- Be 45 years old or older.
- Having a parent or sibling with type 2 diabetes.
- Do physical activity less than 3 times a week.
- Have you ever had diabetes during pregnancy (gestational diabetes) or have given birth to a baby that weighed more than 9 pounds.
- They are African American, Hispanic/Latin American, American Indian, or Alaska Native (some Pacific Islanders and Asian Americans are also at higher risk).
Visit the Health and Disability Data System to learn more about diabetes among people with disabilities in your state and across the country.
November is Diabetes Awareness Month
Join the social media conversation about diabetes prevention and control among people with disabilities by searching #DisabilityandDiabetes
What people with disabilities can do
There are different ways that people with disabilities can get support to test, diagnose, or manage type 2 diabetes.
How CDC supports people with disabilities and diabetes
Projects
CDC supported a project at the University of South Carolina that resulted in a publication, Disparities in diabetes management among Medicaid beneficiaries with intellectual and developmental disabilities (IDD): evidence from five US states.. The goal of the project was to better understand the quality of diabetes care that adults with IDD receive. The project provided information on diabetes care needs among Medicaid-insured people with IDD in Iowa, Massachusetts, New York, Oregon, and South Carolina. It also served as the first study to examine the quality of diabetes care in the Medicaid IDD population in multiple states.
Public health programs
Prevent T2 for everyone
CDC funds the National Centers on Disability, including Special Olympics and the National Center on Health, Physical Activity and Disability (NCHPAD), which work to reduce health disparities between people with and without disabilities through inclusive health activities. CDC adapted by NCHPAD PreventT2 curriculum to create Prevent T2 for everyone. The objective of Prevent T2 for everyone is to improve access to lifestyle change programs for people with disabilities. Over a 12-month period, adults who have been diagnosed with prediabetes learn how to achieve modest weight loss, increase physical activity, and make other lifestyle changes to prevent or delay type 2 diabetes. NCHPAD also provides training on creating and maintaining an inclusive diabetes prevention program and a disease self-management education and support program to its partners.
Several of the CDC-funded state health and disability programs, including Florida, Minnesota, New York, and Montana, have also partnered with NCHPAD to offer T2 Prevention trainings for all. Other funded states, such as Michigan and Kentucky, have developed resources on diabetes including curricular recommendations and brochures about A1c readings and blood sugar tests make information accessible to people with disabilities.
Educational video How to take charge of your diabetes
CDC funded the University of South Carolina to develop a video featuring self-advocates who have IDD and includes nine tips to help viewers manage their diabetes. A collaboration was formed between 10 state health and disability programs (Arkansas, Iowa, Kansas, Massachusetts, Michigan, Montana, New Hampshire, New York, Oregon and South Carolina) to create the Taking charge of your diabetes educational video.
