About Diabetes in the USVI

Diabetes is a serious public health problem in the Virgin Islands. It places a tremendous burden on residents and is estimated to affects many Virgin Islanders. It is the 6th leading cause of death in the United States and the 4th leading cause of death in the USVI.

Based on three-year estimates of the Behavior Risk Factor Surveillance System (BRFSS), the prevalence of self-reported diabetes among residents 18 years of age and older in the USVI is 8.6%. The results of a population-based study- the Virgin Islands Diabetes Study (VIDS) - conducted in 1998, among persons 20 years of age and older on the island of St. Croix, show the crude prevalence of diabetes was 16.9%, with 12% having diagnosed diabetes and .9% having undiagnosed diabetes. This is also twice the rate of diabetes prevalence for other islands in the eastern Caribbean and similar to reported rates on African Americans on the US mainland. Approximately 6,392 – 12,561 Virgin Islanders are affected by diabetes. By the time diabetes is diagnosed 50% of patients already show early signs of complications.

Many complications are associated with diabetes and includes blindness, lower extremity amputations, kidney failure and is associated with cardiovascular disease, stroke and death caused by pneumonia and influenza.Diabetes in the Virgin Islands affects more Black and Hispanic residents and is more common in older adults, and persons with lower education and income levels. Diabetes also poses an economic burden on the Territory with increased out of pocket costs for acute and ambulatory care incurred by persons with diabetes. The good news about diabetes is that it can be controlled and for those who are at risk for developing the disease there are ways for them to delay the onset of this