[Excerpt] Obesity and diabetes are far more prevalent in low-income New Haven neighborhoods than in their high-income counterparts, according to a newly released report by DataHaven, a local non-profit run by a Yale alumnus.
The report concluded that diabetes is three times more prevalent in economically disadvantaged neighborhoods, and that New Haven’s obesity problem is worse than the national average. While about one-third of children in the U.S. between the ages of 2 and 19 are overweight or obese, nearly one-half of middle school students in New Haven’s public schools did not meet guidelines for healthy weight, according to the DataHaven report.
In addition to obesity, the study found that economically disadvantaged New Haven residents are almost twice as likely to die from diabetes than the city’s high-income residents. DataHaven’s report highlights a statewide trend of increasing obesity. A study conducted in April by the Connecticut Department of Public Health shows that from 2010 to 2011, the incidence of diagnosed diabetes in Connecticut rose by 2 percent and obesity prevalence increased by one and a half percent.
“There is a clear gradient in the prevalence of both obesity and diabetes by socioeconomic class in CT,” William Garrish, director of the Office of Communications in the Connecticut Department of Public Health, said in an email. He added that the Connecticut Department of Public Health’s data shows that adults with household income less than $25,000 have almost twice the rate of diabetes as the general population, and that low-income adults are much more likely to be obese compared to the general population. A 2010 study by the Connecticut Department of Public Health found that 30.4 percent of people earning less than $25,000 were obese, while 16.8 percent of people earning more than $75,000 were obese.
Ugonjwa wa kunona na kisukari ni wa kawaida katika maeneo ya New Haven yenye mapato ya chini kuliko katika maeneo ya mapato ya juu, kulingana na ripoti ya hivi karibuni ya DataHaven, shirika la faida lisilo la faida linaloendeshwa na mwanafunzi wa Yale. Ripoti hiyo ilisema kwamba ugonjwa wa kisukari unapatikana mara tatu zaidi katika maeneo yenye hali mbaya ya kiuchumi, na kwamba tatizo la kunenepa kupita kiasi huko New Haven ni baya zaidi kuliko kiwango cha wastani cha kitaifa. "Wakati asilimia moja ya watoto wa Marekani wenye umri wa miaka miwili hadi 19 wana uzito wa ziada au wanene kupita kiasi, karibu nusu ya wanafunzi wa shule za sekondari katika shule za umma za New Haven hawakukidhi miongozo ya uzito wa afya, kulingana na ripoti ya ""Data Haven.""" Kwa kuongezea, utafiti huo uligundua kuwa wakazi wa New Haven walio na hali mbaya ya kiuchumi wana uwezekano mkubwa wa kufa kutokana na ugonjwa wa kisukari kuliko wakazi wa jiji wenye mapato ya juu. Ripoti ya DataHaven inaangazia mwelekeo wa kuongezeka kwa unene wa mwili katika jimbo lote. Uchunguzi uliofanywa na Idara ya Afya ya Umma ya Connecticut unaonyesha kuwa kutoka 2010 hadi 2011, visa vya ugonjwa wa kisukari viligundua kuongezeka kwa asilimia 2 na kuenea kwa unene kupita kiasi kwa asilimia 1.5. "Kuna tofauti kubwa katika kuenea kwa ugonjwa wa kisukari na ugonjwa wa kisukari kulingana na jamii ya kijamii na kiuchumi katika CT,"" alisema William Garrish, mkurugenzi wa Ofisi ya Mawasiliano katika Idara ya Afya ya Umma ya Connecticut, katika barua pepe." "Kama ilivyoelezwa na Idara ya Afya ya Umma ya Connecticut, ""Wazee wenye mapato ya chini ya $ 25,000 wana kiwango cha kisukari mara mbili ya idadi ya watu wa kawaida, na watu wazima wenye mapato ya chini wana uwezekano mkubwa wa kuwa wanene kuliko idadi ya watu wa kawaida.""" Uchunguzi uliofanywa na Idara ya Afya ya Umma ya Connecticut uligundua kuwa asilimia 30.4 ya watu wanaopata mapato ya chini ya $ 25,000 walikuwa wanene kupita kiasi, wakati asilimia 16.8 ya watu wanaopata mapato ya zaidi ya $ 75,000 walikuwa wanene kupita kiasi.