In the first installment of our Friday data snapshot, we're highlighting a new CDC report identifying a "diabetes belt" stretching across the South, where the rate of diabetes exceeds 11 percent, compared to the 8.5 percent national average.

According to the report, which will be published in full in the April issue of the American Journal of Preventive Medicine, the so-called diabetes belt stretches through 644 counties in 15 states, including parts of Alabama, Arkansas, Florida, Georgia, Kentucky, Louisiana, Mississippi, North Carolina, Ohio, Pennsylvania, South Carolina, Tennessee, Texas, Virginia and West Virginia. Roughly 23.9 percent of the people living in the affected counties were obese, and 30.6 percent reported living a sedentary lifestyle—both significantly higher than national averages.

Here's a link to a map of national diabetes prevalence.

And here's a related article with some background and explanation from the CDC.

As usual, email comments and thoughts to hbush@healthforum.com.