Diabetes will place an immense burden on Arizona’s various health care delivery systems in the next decade. If the diabetes prevalence rate remains steady, by the year 2020 it is estimated there will be approximately 485,000 persons with diabetes in Arizona. However, measures of diabetes prevalence, mortality, hospitalization and major risk factors indicate that current rates are worsening. The increase is seen among all ethnic and racial groups. This report contains county-specific information about the prevalence, mortality, and hospitalization of persons with diabetes. It also shows the distribution of diabetes educators, who are effective in encouraging optimal care of persons with diabetes.

Diabetes is largely a preventable and manageable chronic disease. People with well-managed diabetes have better clinical outcomes and reduced medical costs. Since diabetes is mainly a self-managed disease, the cornerstone for treatment is diabetes self-management education/training. The exact numbers of people who receive this traianing in Arizona are unclear, but numbers are below the Healthy People 2010 goal of 60% of people with diabetes receiving formal education/training. Medicare covers it and estimates that only about one percent of beneficiaries with diabetes utilize this service.