National news

Diabetes state by state: Oregon fares slightly better than average

In an analysis reported by the New York Times, Oregon fares just better than the national average in prevalence of diabetes. Approximately 7.1 percent of Oregonians age 30-59 have the disease, compared to 8.4 percent nationally.

Prevalence of diabetes in the state among older Oregonians compares similarly to national figures: 21.1 percent of Oregonians 60 and older have diabetes, compared to 23.6 percent of all Americans 60 and older.

The study analyzes two databases. Researchers believe the results are highly accurate estimates of disease prevalence, whether it has been diagnosed or not.

The region with the greatest percentage of residents with diabetes is the Southeast. Age-standardized diabetes prevalence was highest in Mississippi, West Virginia, Louisiana, Texas, South Carolina, Alabama and Georgia (15.8 to 16.6% for men and 12.4 to 14.8% for women). Vermont, Minnesota, Montana and Colorado had the lowest prevalence (11.0 to 12.2% for men and 7.3 to 8.4% for women).

Read the New York Times summary.

Read the full report.

For health insurance, it’s where you live that counts

Census data released this fall shows geographic inequality among the uninsured. Residents in parts of the Southwest are many times more likely to lack health insurance than residents in pockets of the Northeast and upper Midwest.

Oregon’s rates of poverty, ranks of uninsured and median household income showed little change over the last three years. The census showed that based on a 3-year average between 2006 and 2008, about 639,000 Oregon residents, or 17 percent of the population, had no health insurance. Oregon had the nation’s 15th highest uninsured rate for that period, a significant decline since 2000.

The Seattle Times reported this Associated Press story.