Health
American Diabetes Association Expo Offers Free Hearing Screenings
By Bruce Poinsette
Special To The Skanner News
The American Diabetes Association holds
an Expo at the Oregon Convention Center,
which will offer hearing screenings,
lifestyle demonstrations, a speaker series
and other resources to attendees, Feb. 11
from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m.
“It’s all free,” says Associate Manager
Danielle Yoder.
Yoder says the goal of the event is to raise
awareness of the relationship between dia-
betes and hearing loss.
According to a 2008 study funded by the
National Institute of Health (NIH), hearing
loss is twice as common in adults with dia-
The disease has a disproportionate effect
on the Black community.
According to the American Diabetes
Association, 3.7 million or 14.7 percent of
all blacks aged 20 years or older have dia-
betes.
“African-Americans are 1.6 times more
likely than non Hispanic whites to have
Type 2 diabetes,” says Yoder.
Overall, Blacks are 1.8 times as likely to
have diabetes as non Hispanic whites. 25
percent of blacks between the ages of 65
and 74 have diabetes as well as one in four
Black women over the age of 55.
According the American Diabetes Associ-
ation, these disparities are reflected in the
Researchers suggest that diabetes leads to
hearing loss by damaging nerves and blood
vessels in the inner ear
betes as it is for those that don’t have it. The
study also says that adults with pre-dia-
betes, which is characterized by high blood
glucose that isn’t high enough for a diabetes
diagnosis, are 30 percent more likely to suf-
fer from hearing loss than those with normal
blood sugar.
Researchers suggest that diabetes leads to
hearing loss by damaging nerves and blood
vessels in the inner ear.
According to the American Diabetes
Association, diabetes affects nearly 26 mil-
lion people in the United States. In addition,
NIH says pre-diabetes affects 54 million.
Up to 95 percent of diabetes cases in the US
are Type 2; 313,703 Oregonians are living
with diabetes and 592,000 have pre-dia-
betes.
complications from the disease as well.
Blacks are 50 percent more likely than
non Hispanic whites to develop diabetic
retinopathy, which is associated with blind-
ness. Similarly, blacks are 2.6 to 5.6 times
more likely to suffer from kidney disease
with 4,000 new cases of End Stage Renal
Disease each year. Lastly, Blacks are 2.7
times more likely to suffer from lower limb
amputations.
According to Yoder, The American Dia-
betes Association has been putting on these
Expos since 2002.
She says the first one was held in Phoenix,
Arizona and was well received and well
attended. Since, the Expo has expanded to
cities all across the US.
Yoder says attendance continues to grow
in Portland. This year, she says the organi-
zation is expecting over 5,000 attendees.
She says there are 65 exhibitors and a
variety of activities available.
Jesse Wornum of the biggest loser will be
opening the doors at 8:45 a.m. and then
sharing his personal story of how he’s
learned to manage his diabetes. Attendees
can sign up for the “Walk with Jesse” Step
Out Walk to Stop Diabetes Team in the
American Diabetes Association Experience.
There Expo will also feature healthy
cooking and active living demonstrations.
The healthy cooking stage will feature
presentations Ivy Manning, Chef Bill King
ad Chef Tamara. According to Yoder, it will
address issues like snacks and cooking on a
budget.
The active living stage will feature pre-
sentations from CURVES, DeAnne Hardy
and Stephanie Knoll. Topics will include
“Circuit Training”, “Zumba: Shake Your
Booty”, “Don’t Be Square, Just Dance” and
“Sit & Be Fit”.
Some of the resources available to atten-
dees will include the aforementioned free
hearing screenings, a panel on finding help
and a senior pavilion, according to Yoder.
There will also be an “ask an expert” area
where attendees can have one on one ques-
tion and answer sessions.
Lastly, the Expo will be holding a speaker
series in both English and Spanish.
The English speakers include Michael
Fulop, Elizabeth Stephens of Providence
Medical Center, Andrew Ahmann of the
Harold Schnitzer Diabetes Health Center,
Dan Root of Oregon Sleep Associates,
Michelle Grove of the Portland Clinic and
Steven Tillet.
Spanish speakers include Leda Garside,
Ruth Dallas and Lucrecia Suarez.
Some of the topics the speakers will be
covering include diabetes burnout, the rela-
tionship between sleep disorders and Type 2
diabetes and the necessity of having a dia-
betes team, or a set of doctors to handle
particular complications from the disease.
“It teaches people how to maintain their
diabetes so they don’t lose a foot or a toe,”
says Yoder.
February 8, 2012 The Portland Skanner Page 11