Diabetes is a serious chronic disease that affects many adults nationally and in Connecticut.  In the United States, approximately 37.1 million adults aged 18 or older have diabetes and the prevalence estimate for diabetes was 13.2% in 2017-2020.  In Connecticut, over 300,000 adults have diabetes.  The prevalence estimate was 8.6% in 2019-2021.

While the diabetes prevalence has ranged from a low of 7.9% to a high of 8.6% in recent years, the differences of these prevalence estimates did not reach statistical significance.  In other words, diabetes prevalence among Connecticut adults has remained constant over time.  Diabetes prevention lifestyle change programs help persons who have prediabetes or who are at risk for type 2 diabetes change certain aspects of their lifestyle, like eating healthier, reducing stress, and getting more physical activity, with the goal of preventing or delaying type 2 diabetes.

Diabetes prevalence prior to 2011 is not included on this graph because the Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System (BRFSS) weighting and survey methodologies where revised in 2011.  In 2011, the BRFSS added the use of cell phone interviews (previously, the survey used only landline telephone interviews) and began using a new weighting method. These changes were made so that the survey sample better represents the population. These changes led to an increase in diabetes prevalence because diabetes is more prevalent among population groups that are better represented by the revised BRFSS methodology, such as adults with lower household incomes and adults with lower educational attainment. The diabetes prevalence estimates from 2010 and earlier are not comparable to the prevalence estimates beginning in 2011.

Also note that to improve the precision of the estimates, three-year running averages are used. The years listed on the x-axis of the chart represent the mid-point of the three years in the average. For example, the 2012 data point is the average of data from 2011, 2012, and 2013. Please note that for the 2010 data point and 2011 data point, only two years of data were aggregated because of a change in survey methodology (2010 = 2009 and 2010; 2011 = 2011 and 2012).

The prevalence estimates are age-adjusted to the US 2000 population. Age adjustment is used to eliminate differences in crude rates that result from differences in the populations’ age distributions from year to year.

The target was developed as part of Healthy Connecticut 2020 and Live Healthy Connecticut, A Coordinated Chronic Disease Prevention and Health Promotion Plan.

These data are current as of December 2022.  New data will be available in the Fall of 2023.

For more diabetes statistics, visit www.ct.gov/dph/diabetesdata.

Potential Partners
Connecticut Department of Public Health; Connecticut Department of Social Services; State Department of Education; Connecticut Department of Energy and Environmental Protection; Office of the Healthcare Advocate; Department of Rehabilitation Services State Unit on Aging; Connecticut Community Care, Inc.; Area Agencies on Aging; local public health agencies; health care providers including community health centers, hospitals, nurses and physicians; health professional associations; health insurers; pharmaceutical companies; other businesses and business associations; American Diabetes and Heart Associations; National Kidney Foundation; Connecticut Association of Diabetes Educators; other organizations and coalitions focused on diabetes and kidney disorders; community service providers; other philanthropic and research organizations that address diabetes and kidney disorders; schools of public health, allied health, nursing, and medicine; and others.

Diabetes self‐management education and support (DSMES) is the ongoing process of facilitating the knowledge, skills and abilities necessary for diabetes (and pre‐diabetes) self‐care. It is a critical element of care for all people with diabetes and is necessary to prevent or delay the complications of diabetes.

DSMES has shown cost savings through the reduction of hospitalizations and emergency room visits. An analysis of Connecticut data showed that people with diabetes are more likely to obtain comprehensive diabetes clinical care (including eye exams, foot exams and influenza vaccinations) if they attend DSMES compared with those who never attended DSMES. These preventive care practices are known to prevent or delay costly diabetes complications (American Diabetes Association Standards of Care).

Prevention of diabetes will lower the prevalence rate. The Diabetes Prevention Program was a major multicenter clinical research study aimed at discovering whether modest weight loss through dietary changes and increased physical activity or treatment with the oral diabetes drug metformin could prevent of delay the onset of type 2 diabetes in study participants. The Diabetes Prevention Program found that participants who lost a modest amount of weight through dietary changes and increased physical activity sharply reduced their chances of developing diabetes. Taking metformin also reduced risk, although less dramatically. The researchers published their findings in the February 7, 2002, issue of the New England Journal of Medicine.

Potential Strategies:

Advocate for universal access to affordable, culturally appropriate healthy foods and State policy requiring itemized receipts to monitor WIC vendors

Conduct public awareness campaigns and provider-patient outreach to increase awareness of pre-diabetes among people at high risk

Utilize CDC strategies and guidelines regarding obesity prevention and physical activity programs in schools

Increase access, referrals, and reimbursements for CDC- recognized Diabetes Prevention Program

Work in partnership with the Department on Rehabilitation Services State Unit on Aging and other partners to increase use of diabetes and chronic disease self-management programs in community settings and offer programs in Spanish and English

Increase use of evidence-based diabetes prevention lifestyle intervention programs by actively supporting organizations applying for CDC-recognition

Partner with health care systems to use health information technology to identify, refer and track eligible patients to diabetes prevention and diabetes self-management education programs