Veterans and Diabetes
JOHNSON CITY (April 25, 2018) – Dr. Ying Liu, a faculty member in East Tennessee State University’s College of Public Health, is receiving national attention for her recent finding that more than 20 percent of United States veterans have diabetes and another 3.4 percent have undiagnosed diabetes.
Over the course of several months, Liu studied data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. The database she used contains information about thousands of veterans from across the country. Through her analysis of the data, Liu discovered that problems faced by U.S. veterans in terms of diabetes are “severe,” with the combined rate of diagnosed and undiagnosed diabetes among veterans being much greater than the combined rate in the overall U.S. population.
While diabetes is very prevalent among all veterans, Liu found disparities among rates of diabetes within the veteran population. “Diabetes is a disease that is often related to age, so that plays a role,” she said. “And, of course, obesity, a common problem in the western world, is a risk factor for diabetes so that also has an impact.”
Liu’s research revealed that diabetes was most prevalent among veterans at least 65 years old, the majority of whom were male, and that Hispanic veterans had the highest prevalence of both diabetes and obesity.
Liu’s findings were published in the journal Preventing Chronic Disease, and have since been the topic of articles in additional national outlets.
Her research related to veterans doesn’t stop with the study of diabetes. Currently, Liu is using an ETSU Research Development Committee grant to study the oral health of veterans.
Using the same national database, Liu is working to identify veterans with the greatest risk for oral health issues in an effort to determine where and how to implement cost-effective interventions.
“Oral health is a subset of general health,” she noted. “Periodontal disease puts people at higher risk for heart attack and stroke.”
Dental care offered by the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs is more restricted than other health services in terms of length of time after discharge that care is provided and the number of contacts with dentists allowed, Liu said. In fact, most veterans do not to qualify for free VA dental care, which Liu says is the reason she believes the oral health of veterans is a big public health concern.
Calling veterans a “vulnerable, sometimes neglected population,” Liu reported that veterans often face many health care related challenges that directly or indirectly impact their health and quality of life.
Liu said she has focused much of her research on veterans because of all they have done for others.
“They serve for this country, for our security,” she said. “It is a lot of sacrifice for us so I feel like I need to do something for them. They deserve attention and respect.”