Ohio is number eight, but on this list, a top 10 ranking is nothing to boast about.

Charles Farmer, public relations director for the Central Ohio Diabetes Association, says more than 870,000 people in the state are diagnosed with diabetes, which ranks Ohio eighth in the nation for its number of cases. And he says the prevalence continues to rise.

“Right now, there’s one in 10 people that have the disease, and that could turn into one in three by 2050. But why wait to be a statistic when you can work on prevention and management of the disease?”

Farmer says keys to preventing or managing diabetes aren’t complicated. They involve eating healthy foods, getting regular exercise, and losing weight.

He notes that risk factors increase as people age, and they include being overweight and being physically inactive. He adds that ethnicity is another indicator.

“Unfortunately there are a number of minorities that are a little bit more at risk than others: African Americans, Asian Americans, Hispanics and Native Americans. People are trying to find out why that is right now. They don’t understand it, but that is the case.”

Farmer says there’s been an increase in the number of children and young adults diagnosed with diabetes, and in those cases, it is often linked to lifestyle.

“We’re not doing as much as we used to, as far as being active,” he said. “There’s more of a technology age and people are just not moving around like they used to.”

Farmer urges Ohioans to become familiar with the warning signs of diabetes, including drowsiness, blurred vision, tingling or numbness in the hands or feet, and excessive thirst.

For more facts on diabetes, visit www.diabetesohio.org.

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