Kalilah Allen-Harris, a first-year Meharry Medical College student, took home the 2007 Miss Black USA crown in a scholarship pageant held at The Gambia’s Independence Stadium this June. Allen-Harris who was diagnosed with diabetes at the age of nine will use her reign to promote awareness and prevention of juvenile diabetes in the United States and internationally.
Each year in the United States about 15,000 kids are diagnosed with Type 1 diabetes -- where the body can't make the hormone insulin -- and about 3,700 are diagnosed with Type II diabetes, associated with obesity and being overweight.
According to a new study conducted by the Journal of the American Medical Association rates for diabetes among children under 19 years of age was highest among children 10 to 14 years old, and slightly higher among females, the study found. White children had a 26.1 rate, blacks were at 25.4, and American Indian youths scored 25.
As more American children eat poorly and exercise less the numbers of children and teens with diabetes seem to be increasing. Childhood diabetes is one of the prime results of rising obesity rates, reports say.
Diabetes -- a disease that affects the body's ability to produce or respond properly to insulin, a hormone that allows blood glucose (sugar) to enter the cells of the body and be used for energy -- is one of the most serious health problems the black community faces. Compared to the general US population, blacks are disproportionately affected by diabetes: 3.2 million or 13.3 percent of all African Americans aged 20 years or older have diabetes.
Diabetes is associated with an increased risk for a number of serious, sometimes life-threatening complications. Heart disease and stroke account for about 65 percent of deaths in people with diabetes. Adults with diabetes have heart disease death rates about 2 to 4 times higher than adults without diabetes. The risk for stroke is 2 to 4 times higher and the risk of death from stroke is 2.8 times higher among people with diabetes.
Diabetes imposes a heavy burden on health services in the Gambia, a small developing country in West Africa, and home to the highly acclaimed movie “Roots”. More than 3.6 percent of the annual health budget in The Gambia is spent on the treatment of diabetic patients.
Contestants for the 2007 Miss Black USA took part in local events in the Gambia Diabetic Awareness campaign to provide medical equipment for the new hospital in Serrekunda. Pageant Founder, Karen Arrington said it was especially remarkable to host the pageant in The Gambia during the 30-year anniversary of the television mini series Roots.
In partnership with the American Diabetes Association, Miss Black U.S.A. Pageant and Scholarship Foundation, Inc. announced a yearlong effort to help the black community in the United States and African countries like the Gambia understand the risks for developing diabetes, the early warning signs and need for more funding to support diabetes research efforts.
Allen-Harris received a full tuition scholarship to fund her medical school education and a $20,000 cash award. Just days after winning the title, Allen-Harris relocated to Baltimore, Maryland where she began summer internship at John’s Hopkins Medical Center.
The Nashville beauty plans to pursue a career as an orthopedic surgeon and will use her reign to promote awareness and prevention of juvenile diabetes. Allen-Harris was diagnosed with juvenile diabetes at the age of nine. She believes that promoting healthy eating habits at a very young age is a first step towards preventing the disease.
Visit the American Diabetes Association http://www.diabetes.org for more information on Diabetes.
