Community Based Participatory Research: Diabetes in Hawai’i

According to the State of Hawai’i Department of Health, “Diabetes is defined commonly as high levels of blood glucose or blood sugar” (n.d.). There are two common types of Diabetes, type 1 and type 2. Type 1 diabetes is when people’s bodies are no longer able to produce insulin. Insulin is used so that your body can absorb glucose that’s in your bloodstream. People with type 2 diabetes can still produce insulin but their bodies can’t process it effectively. Type 2 diabetes is more common, in fact, about 90-95% of people with diabetes have type 2 diabetes. Thankfully, type 2 diabetes can be preventable with healthier lifestyle choices (Hernandez, 2016).

In the United States, 30.3 million people have diabetes. That means that diabetes affects 9.4% of the population. Of those 30.3 million people, there are about 7.2 million undiagnosed people(CDC, 2018). The American Diabetes Association says that as of today, there are around 142,000 people in Hawai’i with diabetes, that’s 12% of the population. That means our percentage of people with diabetes is higher than the percentage of those with diabetes in the U.S. People that are diabetic are at a greater risk of developing other health conditions like cardiovascular disease, kidney disease, and cause nerve damage to your hands and feet. Also, diabetes is the 7th leading cause of death (n.d.).