Coping. Choosing. Teaching.
It's estimated that about 25 million American adults have diabetes, a disease that's preventable in most cases. Type 2 diabetes is hitting hardest in communities of color, where access to health care and health choices can be limited by income, education and geography. For many people in these communities diabetes isn't just a diagnosis, it shapes who they are and how they live their lives. Some are simply coping with the disease, trying to manage its impact. Others are evaluating the choices they've made in life with the goal of getting healthier today and in the future. And a few are teaching, trying to help family, friends and neighbors make better health decisions.
Among California's African American, Native American, Latino and Hmong populations, a diagnosis of diabetes can have life threatening consequences. This multimedia program examines how three ethnic communities in California are dealing with diabetes and how culturally-based approaches to health care are lengthening and saving lives.
