You can get diabetes if your body does not use insulin right. Insulin in your body changes the sugars in food into energy. Type 1 diabetes happens when your body destroys its own cells that make insulin. Type 2 diabetes occurs when the pancreas doesn't make enough insulin. A growing number of children are getting type 2 diabetes. Children have a greater chance of getting type 2 diabetes if they are overweight or if a family member has it. Data on how many cases of diabetes are in the Asian American/Pacific Islander and Native Hawaiian population are limited. Some groups within these populations are at increased risk for diabetes. For example, data collected from 1996 to 2000 suggest that Native Hawaiians are 2.5 times more likely to have diagnosed diabetes than White residents of Hawaii of similar age. Guam's death rate from diabetes is five times higher than that of the U.S. mainland. And it is one of the leading causes of death in American Samoa. People with diabetes have a higher chance of having problems with their skin, mouth, kidneys, heart, nerves, eyes, and feet. Although type 1 diabetes cannot be prevented, there are steps you can take to prevent and control type 2 diabetes:

* See your health care providers regularly. Don't forget about the dentist and eye doctor!
* Don't smoke.
* Control your blood sugar and cholesterol levels, your blood pressure, and weight.
* Exercise (30 minutes most days of the week is best).
* Check your feet everyday for blisters, red spots, swelling, or cuts.
* Stay aware of how you feel-if you notice a problem, call your health care provider right away.

Publications

1. Control Your Diabetes For Life - Tips for Feeling Better and Staying Healthy - This booklet provides an action plan for diabetes control that includes tips on knowing blood glucose levels, reaching blood glucose goals, and maintaining blood glucose control.

2. Diabetes Frequently Asked Questions - Information about diabetes including symptoms, types and risks.

3. Diabetes Handouts - Chinese Language Materials - Developed by The Nutrition Education for New Americans Project, these health handouts for diabetes education contain the following educational materials: What is Diabetes?; How can I Eat Healthy?; How to eat from all the food groups; Grains, Beans and Starchy Vegetables; Vegetables; Fruits; Milk and Yogurt Foods; Meat, Poultry, Fish, Dry Beans, Eggs and Nuts; and Fats, Oils and Sweets.

4. Diabetes in Asian and Pacific Islander Americans - Diabetes mellitus poses a rapidly growing health challenge to Asian and Pacific Islander Americans in the United States. This publication provides information and statistics on the risks and complications associated with diabetes.

5. Diabetes Overview - This fact sheet explains the different types of diabetes as well as the various treatment methods available. It also provides information on the impact and cost of the disease, its increasing prevalence, and research currently being conducted by government and private organizations.

6. Diabetes Risk Test (Copyright © American Diabetes Association) - This tool is an interactive test that can help you determine your risk for diabetes.

7. Diabetes Screening and Diagnosis for Asian Americans (Copyright © NAWHO) - Part of the National Asian American Diabetes Education Program, this fact sheet discusses the prevalence of diabetes in Asian Americans, risk factors and barriers to diabetes care.

8. Self Management Strategies for Asian Americans (Copyright © NAWHO) - Developed for the National Asian American Diabetes Education Program, this fact sheet provides information on how to get regular care, eat well, and keep active while living with diabetes.

9. You Can Do It - You Can Manage It: Asian American and Pacific Islander materials from the National Diabetes Education Program - This site contains links to diabetes awareness resources that target the Asian American and Pacific Islander audiences. Two flyers, "It's not always easy to manage diabetes, but you can do it," and, "Diabetes is a serious disease, but you can manage it" are available in English, Cambodian, Chinese, Gujarati (for Asian Indians), Hindi (for Asian Indians), Hmong, Ilokano (for Filipinos), Korean, Laotian, Samoan, Tagalog (for Filipinos), Vietnamese.

Organizations

1. American Diabetes Association

2. Asian and Pacific Islander American Health Forum

3. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC)

4. National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute, NIH, HHS

5. National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases, NIH, HHS

6. Office of Minority and Women's Health, BPHC, HRSA, HHS

7. Office of Minority Health, OPHS, OS, HHS

8. Office on Women's Health, HHS