Health
20 percent of Oklahoma Indians have diabetes


Nearly 20 percent of Oklahoma Indians have diabetes, with about a third not knowing it, according to the state Department of Health.

Diabetes afflicts young and old Indians. Of those age 45 and higher, 38 percent of Indian men and 42 percent of Indian women in Oklahoma have diabetes, according to a University of Oklahoma study.

The disease is showing up in children at earlier and earlier ages. "We're seeing Native American children as young as 5," Stephanie McKinney of the American Diabetes Association told The Oklahoman.

Three tribal health centers in Oklahoma are part of a national study on youth diabetes. The Absentee Shawnee Tribe, the Chickasaw Nation and the Choctaw Nation are participating in clinical trials that include medications, diabetes education, laboratory tests and doctor visits.

Get the Story:
Diabetes skyrockets among state's Indians (The Oklahoman 11/15)
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