Resources to Combat Rising Diabetes Rates

COVID-19 has taken up most of the health headlines this past year, but the United States is still struggling to deal with a rising diabetes crisis. 

Diabetes is a condition that affects how the body uses blood sugar (glucose), which is vital to health because it is an important source of energy for the body’s cells. When blood sugar level is elevated to a certain level, one is diagnosed with diabetes. Like any disease, environmental factors—or community conditions—can create risk factors for the disease.

Diabetes is considered one of the leading causes of the rising burden of disease rates and is one of the top 10 causes of death globally. While some areas of the world are seeing decreases in diabetes rates, the United States is experiencing a strong rise with no sign of letting up. According to the Centers for Disease Control, 34.2 million people in the U.S. have diabetes, and nearly 20 percent of those people don’t know they have it. Additionally, 88 million adults have what is called prediabetes, which means a higher-than-normal blood sugar level that could lead to type 2 diabetes without lifestyle changes. 


The Burden of Disease is a concept developed in the 1990s by the Harvard School of Public Health, the World Bank and the World Health Organization (WHO) to describe death and loss of health due to diseases, injuries, and risk factors. 


According to the WHOthe burden of a particular disease or condition is estimated by adding together:

  • The number of years of life a person loses as a consequence of dying early because of the disease (Life Years Lost)
  • The number of years of life a person lives with disability caused by the disease (Disability Adjusted Life Year)

Adding together the Years of Life Lost and Years of Life lived with Disability gives an estimate of disease burden, called the Disability Adjusted Life Year (DALY). One DALY represents the loss of one year of life lived in full health. 


There have been many scientific advances in diabetes management, both in terms of medication and diabetes management programs. Yet, prevention of diabetes remains the ideal solution to decreasing diabetes rates, reducing disability from diabetes, and lowering the burden of disease. 


Community Commons has a collection of diabetes resources gathered through the work of the Care Transformation Collaborative of Rhode Island for their Rhode Island Diabetes Health Equity Challenge.

Guided by Well-Being and Equity in the World and the Well-Being in the Nation Network, challenge participants used tools developed by 100 Million Healthier Lives to accelerate a pathway to improve an equitable, rapid and sustainable response for people experiencing disparities in diabetic outcomes in the context of COVID-19.

Homepage Rhode Island Health Equity Zones
Rhode Island Health Equity Zones
Tool
Brought to you by Rhode Island Department of Health
Homepage Rhode Island ReportCard
Rhode Island ReportCard
Tool
Brought to you by Rhode Island Department of Education
In Rhode Island, a Model for Upending Health Inequity
Story - Written
Brought to you by Community Commons

Policy Planning

Healthy Communities Policy Guide
Healthy Communities Policy Guide
Resource - Model Policy
12 Coronavirus Funds That Will Help the Most Vulnerable
12 Coronavirus Funds That Will Help the Most Vulnerable
Story - Written
Brought to you by The Nation
How to Get Mutual Aid to Those Most in Need
How to Get Mutual Aid to Those Most in Need
Story - Written
Brought to you by Yes! Magazine
Engagement Tool and Resource Repository
Engagement Tool and Resource Repository
Tool
Brought to you by PCORI
Child Care Emergency/Disaster Preparedness Plan
Child Care Emergency/Disaster Preparedness Plan
Tool
Brought to you by King County
Staff Pick!
Urban Diabetes Toolbox

Access to Healthy Food

Healthy Food Access Toolkit
Healthy Food Access Toolkit
Resource - Website/webpage
Brought to you by American Heart Association
Screen grab of Healthy Food Choices Made Easy
Healthy Food Choices Made Easy
Resource - Website/webpage
Brought to you by ADA
9 Budget-Friendly Foods for a Diabetes Diet
9 Budget-Friendly Foods for a Diabetes Diet
Resource - Website/webpage
Brought to you by Everday Health
Feeding the Country During a Pandemic: Seven Ways Forward
Feeding the Country During a Pandemic: Seven Ways Forward
Resource - Blog
Brought to you by Urban Institute
Three Ways to Improve Access to Healthy Food
Story - Original
Brought to you by Community Commons
Published on 03/15/2017
How Urban Agriculture Can Improve Food Security
How Urban Agriculture Can Improve Food Security
Story - Written
Brought to you by Civil Eats

Program Planning

GPS for Recovery
GPS for Recovery
Tool
Brought to you by GPS
Are Your Patient Referrals Getting Lost in the Shuffle?
Are Your Patient Referrals Getting Lost in the Shuffle?
Story - Written
Brought to you by AAFP
Addressing Disparities in Diagnostic Errors & Medication Safety in the Home
Addressing Disparities in Diagnostic Errors & Medication Safety in the Home
Resource - Report
Brought to you by Massachusetts General Hospital (d/b/a General Hospital Corporation)

Care Coordination

8 Strategies to Build a Care Coordination Model that Works
8 Strategies to Build a Care Coordination Model that Works
Resource - Blog
Brought to you by COPE Health Solutions
Care Coordination
Care Coordination
Resource - Website/webpage
Brought to you by Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality
Pathways HUB: A Population Health Model that Activates the Community Response to Social Determinants
Pathways HUB: A Population Health Model that Activates the Community Response to Social Determinants
Resource - Webinar
Brought to you by Health Management Associates
Guide to Patient and Family Engagement in Hospital Quality and Safety
Guide to Patient and Family Engagement in Hospital Quality and Safety
Resource - Guide/handbook
Brought to you by Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality
First page of AIMS: A Care Coordination Model to Improve Patient Health Outcomes
AIMS: A Care Coordination Model to Improve Patient Health Outcomes
Resource - Journal Article
Brought to you by Health Soc Work
Native Americans with Diabetes
Vital Signs: Native Americans with Diabetes
Resource - Website/webpage
Brought to you by CDC
AARP Community Connections
Connecting People to People
Tool
Brought to you by AARP

Mental Health and Diabetes

Managing isolation and loneliness during COVID-19
Managing Isolation and Loneliness During COVID-19
Resource - Website/webpage
Brought to you by Mass.gov
Shareable Resources on Coping with COVID-19
Shareable Resources on Coping with COVID-19
Resource - Website/webpage
Brought to you by NIH
How I Found Racial Healing During the Pandemic
How I Found Racial Healing During the Pandemic
Story - Written
Brought to you by Yes! Magazine

 Related Topics


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Diabetes

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Coronavirus Pandemic