Delaware Diabetes Data Summary Diabetes Data
Delaware Diabetes Data Summary Diabetes Data
Current Suspected Overdose Deaths in Delaware for 2024: Get Help Now!
Find school water testing results and additional resources
Attention Medicaid Participants: Eligibility Renewals Restarted April 1, 2023
In 2022, 13.9 percent of Delaware residents ages 18 and older reported they had been diagnosed with diabetes.
That means more than 111,808 Delaware adults know they have diabetes, according to the Delaware Behavioral Risk Factor Survey (BRFS). This prevalence does not include gestational diabetes. Starting in 2022, the BRFS asked respondents if they had Type 1 and Type 2 diabetes. Among Delaware adults, 90.9 percent reported having Type 2 diabetes, compared to 9.1% of Delaware adults having Type 1 diabetes.
2011 | 2012 | 2013 | 2014 | 2015 | 2016 | 2017 | 2018 | 2019 | 2020 | 2021 | 2022 |
9.7% | 9.6% | 11.1% | 11.1% | 11.5% | 10.6% | 11.3% | 11.9% | 12.8% | 12.4% | 12.0% | 13.9% |
Source: Delaware Health and Social Services, Division of Public Health, Behavioral Risk Factor Survey (BRFS), 2011-2022
There has been a significant increase in diabetes between 2012 and 2022.
In 2022, there were significant differences among racial groups: 19.7 percent of Non-Hispanic Black adults and 13.0 percent of Non-Hispanic White adults were diagnosed with diabetes.
Diabetes also becomes more prevalent with age. Only 4.2 percent of adults ages 18-44, compared to 19.4 percent among adults ages 55-64; and 23.8 percent among those 65 and older. There is no statistically significant differences between men (15.0 percent) and women (12.8 percent).
The survey asks about "pre-diabetes," or borderline diabetes. In 2022, among adults who do not have diagnosed diabetes, 14.0 percent—or more than 93,000 Delawareans—reported being told they have pre-diabetes.
People with pre-diabetes are at risk for developing type 2 diabetes, but they can significantly reduce that risk by increasing physical activity and eating a healthier diet.
The 2022 Delaware BRFS also provides information about compliance with recommendations for people with diabetes.
Overweight and obesity are major contributing factors for developing diabetes. In Delaware, 23.9 percent of adults who report being obese have been diagnosed with diabetes, compared with 5.3 percent of adults who report normal weights. About 89.3 percent of adults with diagnosed diabetes are either overweight or obese.
Obesity among Delaware adults more than doubled from 13 percent in 1992 to 37.9 percent in 2022. The prevalence of diagnosed diabetes among Delaware adults also doubled from 4.9 percent in 1991 to 13.9 percent in 2022.
Demographic factors for diabetes closely parallel the factors related to overweight and obesity. Adults with lower educational levels and low income have a higher prevalence of obesity and diabetes. Below is a chart showing obesity and diabetes prevalence by state and by county.
State | New Castle Co. | Kent County | Sussex County |
13.9% | 13.9% | 13.3% | 14.1% |
State | New Castle Co. | Kent County | Sussex County |
37.9% | 37.6% | 40.6% | 36.7% |
Source: Delaware Health and Social Services, Division of Public Health, Behavioral Risk Factor Survey (BRFS), 2022.
About 25.4 percent of Delaware's adult population report having activities limited by a physical, mental or emotion problem, or having a health problem that requires them to use special equipment (such as a cane, wheelchair, a special bed, or a special telephone). However, among people diagnosed with diabetes, 40.4 percent report having a disability. About 22.0 percent of all adults with a disability say they have been diagnosed with diabetes.
About 19.9 percent of Delaware's adult population report being told they have a depressive disorder—including depression, major depression, dysthymia, or minor depression. Among people diagnosed with diabetes, 25.2 percent report having a depressive disorder. About 17.6 percent of all adults with a depression say they have been diagnosed with diabetes.
A printable PDF version of this page is available here for download.
Return to the main Diabetes Program page. | Return to the main BRFS page.
Please note: Some of the files available on this page are in Adobe PDF format which requires Adobe Acrobat Reader. A free copy of Adobe Acrobat Reader can be downloaded directly from Adobe . If you are using an assistive technology unable to read Adobe PDF, please either view the corresponding text only version (if available) or visit Adobe's Accessibility Tools page.