Study: Diabetes deaths lower in North County than statewide

By: ERIN WALSH - Staff Writer | Wednesday, February 25, 2004 11:18 PM PST ∞

Diabetes kills fewer people in North County than throughout the rest of the state, according to a new study, but local doctors and health advocates say the disease and childhood obesity ---- one of the major risk factors for the disease ---- are unhealthily common in North County.

A study released Wednesday by the California Center for Public Health Advocacy showed that about 60 of every 100,000 North County deaths are related to diabetes, compared with about 82 of every 100,000 deaths throughout the state.

But more than one-fifth of North County kids are considered overweight, according to the study. Health advocates said Wednesday that the area and the state should expect more people to get obesity-related diabetes in the next decade. Statewide, areas with the highest rates of childhood obesity also had the highest rates of diabetes-related deaths.

"These diabetes death rates are an unmistakable warning sign of California communities on the brink of even more serious health problems," said Harold Goldstein, a physician and executive director of the center that put out the study. "Ignoring the epidemic of diabetes and childhood overweight puts our children at risk of becoming the first American generation to die younger than their parents."

There are two types of diabetes: Type 1 occurs when people are born with an inability to produce enough insulin, the hormone that helps the body process sugar. Type 2 diabetes, on the other hand, occurs when excess body weight blocks the body's ability to use insulin, resulting in erratic blood sugar levels. Type 2 is becoming more common throughout the state and North County, especially in children, doctors said.

"We are seeing more and more patients being diagnosed with Type 2, and it's directly related to the fact that more and more people, especially children, are becoming obese," said Nick Yphantides, a doctor for a North County clinic group called Neighborhood Health Care.

"Just this morning, I diagnosed three people with Type 2 diabetes for the first time," said Yphantides, who spent the morning at a clinic on the Pauma Indian Reservation. "All three, I'm confident, would have been able to avoid that diagnosis by changing their lifestyles."

Local health advocates blame a number of factors for the onset of the disease, including lack of physical activity and healthy food choices in schools.

"Schools are cutting their P.E. teachers and some are still serving soda and chips in their vending machines," said Naomi Butler, a coordinator for California Project LEAN, a state-funded program that promotes healthy eating, especially in schools. The group has pushed several local school districts to offer healthier lunch choices and even to get rid of soft drink machines.

A proliferation of fast-food restaurants and convenience stores, rather than produce markets and healthy restaurants, also has contributed to local obesity and diabetes rates, Yphantides said.

"Drive down Valley Parkway, you won't see a Souplantation," he said, referring to a salad and soup buffet restaurant. "But you'll see a lot of fast-food joints and convenience stores that don't sell really healthy things."

The study breaks down diabetes death rates and childhood obesity rates by congressional district. Spokespeople for the study, including Butler, said the report is designed to put pressure on local lawmakers to help change state policy regarding health and exercise. The report suggests stricter enforcement of state physical education laws and recommends restricting the marketing of unhealthy foods to children.

"Kids are under siege from marketers who are pushing fat- and sugar-packed foods," Yphantides said. "It's not uncommon for me to see an overweight child in the waiting room of the doctor's office with a bag of Cheetos tucked under his arm ... that's quite possibly the kid who is at risk of developing diabetes."

Diabetes death rates and childhood obesity rates are highest in Los Angeles County, the Central Valley and Southwest San Bernardino County.

Contact staff writer Erin Walsh at (760) 739-6644 or ewalsh@nctimes.com.

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