Diabetes Q&A

CDC: Diabetes Incidence Has Fallen, But Obesity and Prediabetes Remain High

Despite a significant rise from 1990 to 2009, diagnosed diabetes in the United States appears to have stabilized and decreased within the last decade, according to a new study from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).1

The CDC researchers who conducted the study have called it “the longest period of a sustained plateau in prevalence since the 1980s and longest period of declining incidence ever.” Although the causes are unclear, efforts including targeted screening, improved availability of healthy foods, increased awareness and education about type 2 diabetes, and community walkability may have played a role, they noted.

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For their study, the researchers evaluated nationally representative, cross-sectional survey data from the National Health Interview Survey from 1980 to 2017. Notable findings included:

  • From 1980 to 1990, no significant changes in the prevalence and incidence of age-adjusted, diagnosed diabetes were observed.
  • From 1990 to 2009, the prevalence of age-adjusted, diagnosed diabetes rose significantly, with a peak of 8.2 per 100 adults and an annual percentage change (APC) of 4.4%.
  • From 1990 to 2009, the incidence of age-adjusted, diagnosed diabetes rose significantly, with a peak of 7.8 per 1000 adults and APC of 4.8%.
  • From 2009 to 2017, the prevalence of age-adjusted, diagnosed diabetes plateaued, and the incidence decreased significantly to 6.0 per 1000 adults, with an APC of -3.1%.
  • Incidence likely decreased the most among non-Hispanic white individuals (APC, -5.1%). 
     

Although these may be good signs, Americans are likely not yet out of the woods, so to speak. The overall burden of diabetes is still high, and the prevalence of prediabetes has remained unchanged, the researchers noted. Prediabetes currently affects 84.1 million (33.9%) US adults and is especially common among adults aged 65 years or older, according to 2015 data from the CDC.2

Obesity and severe obesity have also spiked since the turn of the century, affecting an estimated 39.8% of US adults between 2015 and 2016.3 Data indicate that obesity is more prevalent among middle-aged adults compared with younger adults.3

The researchers continue to urge a number of interventions in response to these data, including “multilevel, multidisciplinary prevention to reduce both type 2 diabetes and diabetes complications, along with improved surveillance of trends in screening and detection.”

—Christina Vogt

References:

  1. Benoit SR, Hora I, Albright AL, Gregg EW. New directions in incidence and prevalence of diagnosed diabetes in the USA [published online May 28, 2019]. BMJ Open Diabetes Res Care. doi:10.1136/bmjdrc-2019-000657.
  2. National diabetes statistics report, 2017. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. https://www.cdc.gov/diabetes/pdfs/data/statistics/national-diabetes-statistics-report.pdf. Accessed May 30, 2019.
  3. Hales CM, Carroll MD, Fryar CD, Ogden CL. Prevalence of obesity among adults and youth: United States, 2015-2016. NCHS data brief, no 288. Hyattsville, MD: National Center for Health Statistics. 2017. https://www.cdc.gov/nchs/data/databriefs/db288.pdf.