New York is facing a diabetes crisis, with new figures showing that roughly one in nine adults in the Big Apple suffer from the disease.
Findings published in a new report by the New York City Health Department show that the number of people diagnosed with diabetes in the city’s five boroughs rose by a third (33%) between 2002 and 2012, from 450,000 to 667,000.
This means that around 10.7% of New York’s adult population has the diabetes, which is higher than the national rate of 9.5%.
According to the report, the rise is proving deadly, with one person dying of diabetic complications in the city every 90 minutes, or 16 diabetes-related deaths every day.
In 2011, almost 5,700 New York fatalities were from diabetes-related causes.
“It’s an epidemic and a crisis,” New York City Health Commissioner Thomas Farley, told reporters at a panel on the diabetes epidemic.
Experts at the panel agreed that the solution to stopping the epidemic is based on education, but Dr Farley argued that it is adults who need the most educating, not children.
“We can’t blame the kids,” he said. “It comes from the food that adults serve them.”
Ronald Tamler, Clinical Director of the Diabetes Center at Mount Sinai Medical Center in New York City, said: “Our efforts need to focus on health literacy and classes for diabetes prevention. We all need to work together to provide education and greater opportunities for healthful food choices and physical activity.”
The health department report was released in conjunction with the results of a Everyday Health survey of over 1,000 people with diabetes and pre-diabetes, which suggests that people with diabetes are not managing their condition as well as they think.
The survey found that although 76% of respondents believe they have control of their blood sugar levels, only 57% are effectively managing their diabetes .

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