Promoting diabetes awareness in diverse communities

November 08, 2011

General Mills Corporate Communications

As part of National Diabetes Awareness Month, General Mills is reaching out to diverse communities throughout the United States in an effort to provide more information about the disease that affects about one in 10 adults in the U.S.    The sixth annual Twin Cities Walk for Diabetes – the largest fundraiser for diabetes research in Minnesota – was held on the General Mills Main Office campus in Minnepolis Oct. 29. And last Thursday evening in Chicago, a diabetes awareness and prevention seminar was held in the heavily Hispanic Pilsen neighborhood.

The Chicago event was part of the company’s broader Qué Rica Vida effort to provide relevant health and nutrition information to the country’s Spanish-speaking population. (Qué Rica Vida means “What a Rich and Wonderful Life” in Spanish.)

It featured an appearance by medical expert Dr. Aliza Lifshitz, who has regular health programs on Univision television and radio as well as syndicated weekly columns in several Spanish-language newspapers.

Disease more prevalent among Latinos As common as the disease is in the general population, it’s even more prevalent among Latinos. Hispanics account for 10.4 percent of adults 20 years and older with this disease, and African-Americans account for 11.8 percent, while only 6.6 percent of Caucasian Americans are diagnosed as diabetic. 

And the disease – which is linked to obesity – is growing as waistlines expand.

The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention predicts that total diabetes (diagnosed and undiagnosed) will affect between one in five adults and one in three adults by 2050.

Vivir Sano, which means “Healthy Living” in Spanish, is Qué Rica Vida’s grassroots health education program that engages with Latinas one-on-one.

Since the program was launched in 2010, it has reached more than 500,000 people in Latino neighborhoods – including the one in Chicago and others in Los Angeles, Houston and Oakland, Calif.

At the event Thursday in Chicago, Hispanic families listened to Dr. Aliza stress the importance of both a wholesome diet and physical exercise in preventing diabetes.

Her presentation was followed by a healthy cooking demonstration by Qué Rica Vida Executive Chef Adriana Amione. Amione encouraged families to visit QueRicaVida.com to download a diabetes meal plan full of recipes their families would enjoy.

 

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