Helping Spanish speakers link type 2 diabetes and heart disease and stroke

DALLAS and ARLINGTON, VA., Sept. 21, 2020 — A new education campaign from the American Heart Association and American Diabetes Association aims to increase awareness and action among Spanish language-dominant people with type 2 diabetes to underscore the link between type 2 diabetes and heart disease and stroke. The announcement comes during Hispanic Heritage Month (September 15 – October 15).

The Spanish-language campaign, found at DiabetesdeCorazon.org, is an extension of the American Heart Association and the American Diabetes Association’s landmark Know Diabetes by Heart™ initiative. The new, year-round, multi-year effort addresses the disproportionate rate in which many Hispanics/Latinos experience type 2 diabetes and its devastating cardiovascular complications. The website includes educational resources and articles along with success stories and recipes.

“One out of two people who are Hispanic/Latino in the United States are projected to have type 2 diabetes over their lifetime [1],” said Eduardo Sanchez, M.D., MPH, FAAFP, the American Heart Association’s chief medical officer for Prevention. “The good news is you can thrive with a diabetes diagnosis and we want to make sure a language barrier doesn’t keep critical information like protecting your heart, brain and kidneys out of reach.”

People with type 2 diabetes are at double the risk of developing and dying from cardiovascular diseases such as heart attack, heart failure and stroke;[2]^,[3],[4] and people of Hispanic origin in the U.S. have the second highest rate of diagnosed diabetes (12.5%), behind American Indians/Alaskan natives (14.7%). Among U.S. adults of Hispanic origin, Mexicans (14.4%) and Puerto Ricans (12.4%) had the highest prevalence of diagnosed diabetes, followed by Central/South Americans (8.3%) and Cubans (6.5%), according to the CDC.[5]

“COVID-19 is a serious threat to everyone, but especially for Hispanics and Latinos with type 2 diabetes if their blood sugars are elevated. There is no better time than the present to make lifestyle changes and improve how you take care of yourself and manage your diabetes, and to work with your HCP to achieve your A1C goal,” said Robert Gabbay, M.D., PhD, chief scientific and medical officer for the American Diabetes Association. “Through this campaign, we hope to help people with type 2 diabetes break down some of the barriers that keep them from managing their diabetes and taking care of their hearts.”

Through Know Diabetes by Heart and its Spanish-language campaign, with founding sponsors the Boehringer Ingelheim and Eli Lilly and Company Diabetes Alliance, and Novo Nordisk, and national sponsors Sanofi, AstraZeneca and Bayer, the American Heart Association and American Diabetes Association are focused on positively empowering patients and supporting their health care providers to better manage the link between type 2 diabetes and heart disease and stroke.

The American Heart Association and the American Diabetes Association launched the collaborative landmark initiative called Know Diabetes by Heart™ to comprehensively combat the national public health impact of type 2 diabetes and cardiovascular disease. Through Know Diabetes by Heart™, the leading nonprofit associations, with founding sponsors the Boehringer Ingelheim and Eli Lilly and Company Diabetes Alliance, and Novo Nordisk, and national sponsors Sanofi, AstraZeneca and Bayer, are focused on positively empowering people living with type 2 diabetes to better manage their risk for cardiovascular disease such as, heart attacks, strokes and heart failure, and supporting health care providers in educating and treating their patients living with type 2 diabetes to reduce their cardiovascular risk. Visit KnowDiabetesbyHeart.org for resources.

About the American Heart Association

The American Heart Association is a relentless force for a world of longer, healthier lives. We are dedicated to ensuring equitable health in all communities. Through collaboration with numerous organizations, and powered by millions of volunteers, we fund innovative research, advocate for the public’s health and share lifesaving resources. The Dallas-based organization has been a leading source of health information for nearly a century. Connect with us on heart.org, Facebook, Twitter or by calling 1-800-AHA-USA1.

About the American Diabetes Association

Every day more than 4,000 people are newly diagnosed with diabetes in America. More than 122 million Americans have diabetes or prediabetes and are striving to manage their lives while living with the disease. The American Diabetes Association (ADA) is the nation’s leading voluntary health organization fighting to bend the curve on the diabetes epidemic and help people living with diabetes thrive. For 80 years the ADA has been driving discovery and research to treat, manage and prevent diabetes, while working relentlessly for a cure. We help people with diabetes thrive by fighting for their rights and developing programs, advocacy and education designed to improve their quality of life. Diabetes has brought us together. What we do next will make us Connected for Life. To learn more or to get involved, visit us at diabetes.org or call 1-800-DIABETES (1-800-342-2383). Join the fight with us on Facebook (American Diabetes Association), Twitter (@AmDiabetesAssn) and Instagram (@AmDiabetesAssn).

For Media Inquiries:

American Heart Association – Jayme Sandberg, Jayme.Sandberg@heart.org, 214-706-2169

American Diabetes Association – Daisy Diaz, press@diabetes.org, 703-253-4807

For Public Inquiries:

1-800-AHA-USA1 (242-8721)

heart.org and stroke.org

1-800-DIABETES (1-800-342-2383)

www.diabetes.org

(emails to:

AskADA@diabetes.org