This third segment of an eight-part series on health disparities in the Pittsburgh region is a collaboration among the New Pittsburgh Courier, Community PARTners (a core service of the University of Pittsburgh’s Clinical and Translational Science Institute—CTSI) and the Urban League of Greater Pittsburgh. Pitt School of Medicine assistant professor Michael Yonas, DrPH, sat down with Esther Bush, president and CEO of the Urban League, to talk about this month’s focus on diabetes in Allegheny County.

ESTHER BUSH

MY: Thank you for making this partnership with the New Pittsburgh Courier and CTSI possible. This month’s segment on diabetes awareness is so important. We know that exercising and eating well can help prevent type 2 diabetes, but the rates of diabetes are increasing in the African American community. Why do you think this is the case?

The American Diabetes Expo is FREE and includes health screenings, cooking demonstrations and product and service exhibitors, as well as leading experts talking about diabetes management and prevention. Get the latest information on preventing and managing diabetes and its deadly complications to help keep you and your family healthy.

This year, the Expo includes several Pathways to Better Health. Plan ahead by visiting the Expo Website and follow a pathway to get the most out of the event. Different Pathways include type 1 diabetes, type 2 diabetes, and prevention. Other activities occurring throughout the day include a healthy eating showcase, a healthy aging showcase, and opportunities to meet with specialists individually.

Greater Pittsburgh has a wealth of resources if you’re looking for more information about diabetes, its prevention or health and wellness programs. The following list is just a starting point:

THE UNITED STATES DEPARTMENT OF ­AGRICULTURE launched a new guide to healthful eating this year, and the guide and other helpful information can be found at http://www.choosemyplate.gov/.

Diabetes—unfortunately, it’s probably a familiar word to all of us, whether you have a family member who has the disease or you’re worried about developing it yourself. With more than 28 million people in the United States diagnosed with diabetes and 70 million who are prediabetic or at high-risk for developing the disease*, diabetes has become a national epidemic.

Diabetes is of particular importance in our region because the largest increase in diabetes prevalence between 2000 and 2050 is expected to occur in Black men and women; the estimated risk for those individuals born in 2000 is roughly one in three. And, the death rate from diabetes among African Americans living in Allegheny County is twice the rate in Whites (see figure 1).