The communities of the Bronx and the entire Big Apple will have a unique opportunity this Saturday, September 7, to connect with health organizations that will offer free screenings, healthy food tastings, and the latest updates on the chronic metabolic disease that most affects Hispanics in the Big Apple.
The invitation is open to children, youth and adults to the ‘2024 Diabetes Health Festival’, between 12 noon and 6 p.m., which will be held at Soundview Park, between Lafayette and Morrison Avenues. Health specialists will be there, alternating with recreational activities, dancing and music.
This event, organized by Velásquez Consulting, is driven, among other reasons, by the growing number of children and adolescents who are developing type 2 diabetes.
“Diabetes remains a major issue for the Bronx community. The key to successful treatment and a better quality of life is education. We are going to provide people with easy-to-understand information about health and wellness to help prevent diabetes or improve their quality of life,” explained Helene Velazquez, a member of the organizing committee.
The mission of this festival is to amplify a message of prevention and education to communities that still assume that this chronic disease, in which blood sugar (glucose) levels are above normal, is an issue only for older people.
In a special pavilion for workshops, there will be exhibitions on healthy eating, tastings and the fundamental details for dealing with this disease.
The event will include activities for children and seniors.
During this edition of the festival, Latin artist Luis Damon will perform live on stage with his band.
An evil that grows
Based on data released by New York State, it is estimated that 1.8 million people, or 11.4% of the adult population, have been diagnosed with type 2 diabetes.
Among New York City boroughs, the prevalence of diagnosed diabetes was highest in the Richmond borough of Staten Island (14.4%) and lowest in Manhattan (7.1%).
But there is one big line to note in these statistics: the percentage of adults diagnosed with diabetes in the much more populous Bronx County is 13.6%.
In various campaigns, the authorities of the Big Apple have constantly reflected and created strategies to curb this disease, which is the cause of death of more than 103,000 people in the country every year.
This metabolic disease is the leading cause of kidney failure, lower limb amputation, and blindness in adults, according to data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).
Likewise, figures from the New York City Department of Health (DOHMH) reveal that between 2002 and 2020, the prevalence of diabetes in adults increased by more than 50%, going from 8% of the total population with that diagnosis to 12%.
Hispanics are the most affected
Among this series of statistical data, there is a number that is more revealing for municipal authorities: it is precisely the Hispanic communities in New York who are most frequently diagnosed with high glucose levels.
A report last year found that while 8 percent of all whites in the Big Apple have been diagnosed with the disease, the rate for Asians is 12 percent, for blacks 15 percent and for Hispanics 16 percent.
In Salsa County, the numbers are even more alarming, as there are predominantly Hispanic neighborhoods where the rate of diabetes diagnoses reaches 20%.
In addition, diabetes mellitus is taking years off the lives of thousands who suffer from it, as it has gone from being the eighth leading cause of premature death in the Big Apple and the seventh leading cause of death to the fifth leading cause of death.
The death rate from diabetes has increased by 16.4% since 2011 and by 18.1% since 2019.
During the COVID-19 pandemic, diabetes emerged as an underlying condition that increased the likelihood of severe illness. Nearly 4 in 10 adults who died from COVID-19 in the United States also had the condition.
- The 2024 Diabetes Health Festival is sponsored by VillageCareMax, Verizon, Hispanic Federation, EmblemHealth, Heart to Heart Home Care, Healthfirst, Ridgewood Bank, Z Best Home Care, as well as El Diario, 93.1 FM Amor, PIX 11, El Especialito, Puerto Rican Flags Up, Bonche Urbano and In the Music Zone. Join us between 12 noon and 6 p.m. at the pavilions that will be open to the public in Soundview Park, between Lafayette and Morrison Avenues.
An evil that may be hidden:
- 12.5% is the prevalence of diabetes among adults in New York City, according to the New York City Community Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NYC HANES).
- 8.7% of cases are diagnosed and 3.8% remain undiagnosed.