8% of Arkansans have been diagnosed with diabetes
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Updated: April 17, 2007
According to a report by the Institute of Medicine, one in five children is predicted to be obese by the end of the decade.
Arkansas was recognized in the report for halting the trend in the state through school-based body mass index reports, improved lunches and increased physical activities in schools.
Yet more than 37-percent of all Arkansans are overweight, and more than 23-percent are obese, according to the CDC.
Dr. Nick Paslidis, chief executive officer of the Arkansas Foundation for Medical Care says many Arkansans don`t fully realize what a serious threat obesity is, and what diabetes can lead to.
The CDC estimates that one out of three children who were born in the year 2000 will develop diabetes at some point in life. And a study by the National Institutes of Health suggests average life expectancy could decline by nearly five years if the rising rates of obesity cannot be curbed.
(Copyright 2006 Newsroom Solutions, LLC)
