It is well documented that diabetes is much more prevalent in the Southern United States and Appalachian region than in the rest of the country (see Southern & Appalachian States Have Highest Rates of Diabetes, Sept. 25, 2009).
However, a new report from the Center for Disease Control (CDC) entitled Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report breaks down the counties, states and regions where diabetes has its strongest foothold on the population. While the exact cause of diabetes is unknown, researchers have found a link between obesity and the disease.
The report shows that 81% of counties in the Appalachian region have the highest rates of diabetes and obesity, according to a recent article published by WedMD. The Appalachian region includes Tennessee, Kentucky and West Virginia. It also finds that 77% of counties in Southern states such as Georgia, Mississippi, South Carolina, Louisiana and Alabama are among the highest in the nation.
A robust 15.3% of the population of Green County, Alabama has diabetes, putting it among the counties with the highest prevalence of diabetes. Holmes County in Mississippi also made the list at 15%, while Jefferson County, Mississippi checked in with 14.9%. Lowndes and Perry Counties in Alabama both showed that 15.2% of their population has diabetes.
On the flip side, some counties in the West and Northern Plains had some of the lowest rates of diabetes. In Boulder County, Colorado just 3.9% of the population has diabetes. Gallatin County, Montana (4.2), Los Alamos (4.3%) and Santa Fe (3.7%) counties in New Mexico and Summit County (4.2%) in Utah were also among the lowest, according to the WedMD article.
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