About 40 percent of adults ages 40 to 74 - or 41 million people - have
pre-diabetes, a condition that raises a person’s risk for developing type 2
diabetes, heart disease, and stroke.
Studies show that Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders who are overweight
are at increased risk for type 2 diabetes, and some groups, including Native
Hawaiians, Filipinos, and Japanese Americans living in Hawaii, are twice as
likely to have diabetes as white residents of similar age.
To respond to this serious health threat, the U.S. Department of Health and
Human Services’ (HHS) National
Diabetes Education Program (NDEP) launched a public awareness campaign today
called “Two Reasons I Find Time to Prevent Diabetes…My Future and Theirs” at the
Paradise Valley Hospital in National City, a San Diego suburb. The campaign
delivers the message that type 2 diabetes can be prevented or delayed with
modest weight loss by getting regular physical activity and making healthy food
choices.
“Two Reasons I Find Time to Prevent Diabetes” is part of NDEP’s Small Steps.
Big Rewards. Prevent type 2 Diabetes campaign that targets groups at high risk
for diabetes by promoting the importance of losing a small amount of weight.
Tailored specifically for Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders, “Two Reasons”
speaks to the strong intergenerational family ties in Asian American and Pacific
Islander communities and encourages people at risk to make lifestyle changes now
so they can live a long and healthy life and enjoy their loved ones in the
future.
“We are asking Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders to find out if they are
at risk for type 2 diabetes, and we’re showing them how to take action to
prevent it,” said HHS Secretary Tommy G. Thompson. “Asian Americans may not
realize that the weight they think is healthy is putting them at risk for
diabetes. That’s why the Small Steps campaign is so important.”
Nina Agbayani, Director of Programs for the Association of Asian Pacific
Community Health Organizations (AAPCHO), discussed her organization’s
involvement with the campaign. “Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders do not
have to suffer from diabetes and its complications,” said Ms. Agbayani. “Working
with our member organizations and clinics across the United States, we will get
the word out that preventing type 2 diabetes is proven, possible, and powerful,”
she said. AAPCHO is dedicated to improving the health status and access to
health care of Asian Americans, Native Hawaiians, and Pacific Islanders in the
United States.
“This partnership of community-based health programs and a national public
awareness campaign is a prescription for making real inroads in stemming the
diabetes epidemic,” said Dr. James R. Gavin III, Chair of the NDEP and President
of the Morehouse School of Medicine.
San Diego native Carmencita Domingo participated in the campaign launch as a
member of NDEP’s Small Steps. Big Rewards. Team to Prevent type 2 Diabetes. This
group of committed citizens was assembled by NDEP to put a human face on the
populations that are at high risk for the disease. Each member is actively
working in his or her community to demonstrate lifestyle changes they have made
to prevent or delay diabetes. Ms. Domingo sets an example as activity director
at the Hope Adult Day Health Care Center in the San Diego area.
“I adopted a healthy lifestyle and made the commitment to inform my family
and friends about the freedoms it can bring — freedom from daily injections of
insulin, freedom from blindness, and freedom from amputation,” said Ms. Domingo.
“My older relatives have diabetes, so I’m working hard to break the cycle of
this devastating disease in future generations. I want to be around for my
grandchildren and great grandchildren,” she said.
The “Two Reasons” campaign includes radio and print public service ads, tip
sheets, and posters produced in English, Chinese, Cambodian, Hmong, Korean,
Tagalog (for Filipinos), Thai, and Vietnamese. Materials in eight additional
languages will be released later this year. Hundreds of public and private
partners will help distribute the materials throughout the Asian American and
Pacific Islander community.
