Alternative to Obesity Medicines--Innovative Resources to Manage Weight and Tackle Diabetes in Hispanic Communities for the upcoming holiday seasons

WASHINGTON, Nov. 17, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- To balance the frenzy on the use of obesity medicines the Healthy Americas Foundation^® launched a series of free tools to support people and their health care providers improve their health and well-being during the upcoming holiday seasons. These include: infographics; an online copy of "The New No Gimmick Diet"; and, "Diabetes Se Puede Controlar™ [Diabetes Can Be Controlled] — Community Health Champions" a one hour webinar series available in English and Spanish that informs and engages individuals with actionable knowledge to effectively manage their weight and reduce the risk of getting diabetes while supporting those with diabetes to manage it. The webinars demystify diabetes (Seminar 1), champion healthy dietary choices (Seminar 2), reveal exercise benefits (Seminar 3), and offer tangible strategies for controlling the condition (Seminar 4).

"With so much talk about the challenges of maintaining a healthy weight and diabetes disproportionately affecting Hispanic populations, it's vital to dismantle the persistent belief that diabetes is inevitable for Hispanics." asserted Dr. Jane Delgado, President and CEO of the Healthy Americas Foundation. "Our initiative is about providing trusted, scientifically-backed resources to transform lives through education and support."

The diabetes incidence rate is 1.6 times higher among Hispanics. Between 2018-19, 11.8% of Hispanics 18 years or older were diagnosed with diabetes, compared with 7.4% for non-Hispanic whites.ⁱ There is greater morbidity and mortality among Hispanics especially for Puerto Ricans and Mexican Americans. Hispanics are 1.3 times more likely to die from diabetes than non-Hispanic whites,ⁱⁱ  and twice as likely as non-Hispanic white diabetics to be admitted to a hospital for a lower extremity amputation (25.4 v. 12.5 per 1,000).ⁱⁱⁱ

While Hispanics already know of their higher rate of diabetes, the encouraging message throughout these webinars is that diabetes can be prevented. The skills shared in the webinars are meant to both activate and support people to take steps to prevent diabetes and for those who have diabetes to better control it.

You can access these life-enhancing webinars at www.healthyamericasfund.org/resources and be part of the change, materials.

About The Healthy Americas Foundation
The Healthy Americas Foundation (HAF) seeks to improve the health of individuals and families throughout the Americas. HAF's efforts are grounded in the experience of the National Alliance for Hispanic Health and its many partners. For more information, please visit www.healthyamericasfund.org.

i     Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. National Diabetes Statistics Report website. https://www.cdc.gov/diabetes/data/statistics-report/index.html. Accessed [11/03/2023].
ii    Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. National Vital Statistics Reports, Vol. 69, No. 13, January 12, 2021
iii   Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. National Diabetes Statistics Report: Estimates of Diabetes and Its Burden in the United States, 2017. Atlanta, GA: U.S. Department of Health and Human Services; 2017.

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SOURCE Healthy Americas Foundation (HAF)