In its ongoing Health and Nutrition Strategist™ syndicated study, Decision Analyst recently asked 9,265 respondents about various health and lifestyle issues. Among respondents 20 and older, 9.6 percent said they had diabetes. Among all ages, about 23.6 million Americans have diabetes, according to the National Diabetes Information Clearinghouse.

Age

In its study, Decision Analyst found that 82.2 percent of people with diabetes are 45 or older, compared to 46.6 percent of nondiabetics - people who don't have diabetes. 

Economics

The study also shows that people with diabetes are more likely to earn less: 62 percent have an annual pretax income per year of less than $50,000, compared to 52.8 percent of adults without diabetes. In addition, 7.1 percent of diabetics earn more than $100,000, compared to 16 percent of adults without diabetes, according to the Decision Analyst study.

Over-weight

People with diabetes are more likely to be overweight: 10.3 percent weigh more than 300 pounds and 16.4 percent weigh between 250 and 299 pounds, compared to 2.7 percent and 6.5 percent of adults who don't have diabetesnondiabetic adults, respectively. The average weight of a diabetic is 210 pounds, while the average for nondiabetic adults is 175 pounds.

People with diabetes know if they are overweight: 49.8 percent say they are more than 30 pounds overweight, compared to 24.3 percent of adults without diabetes. Only 11.3 percent describe their weight as being about right, compared to 24.9 percent of the adults who don't have diabetesnondiabetic adults.

Methodology

Decision Analyst's Health and Nutrition Strategist™ (HANS™) syndicated study is conducted monthly online using the company's American Consumer Opinion® panel. HANS™ is an integrated knowledge base of health habits, nutritional attitudes, food, beverage consumption, and restaurant usage of the American consumer. 

Data on diabetes were collected from January 2006 to March 2008 using a statistically balanced sample of 9,265 adults. The margin of statistical error ranges from 2.5% to 3.5%, plus or minus, at a 95% confidence level.

Source: Decision Analyst