World Diabetes Day will be held at Oklahoma Capitol

In mid-November, Romano will be part of the 4th annual Capitol Dome Blue/World Diabetes Day program on the second floor rotunda of the state Capitol. The theme is “Don't worry, be happy.”

Representatives from a variety of agencies — including the Oklahoma City-County Health Department and the Harold Hamm Oklahoma Diabetes Center — will provide information about and promote awareness of diabetes, its causes and prevention.

Romano, for one, hopes to get children as young as 5 to choose low-calorie beverages. She'll demonstrate how popular drinks are overly sweet by loading representative bottles with one sugar packet after another.

“Children can look at that and see how much sugar there is in soda or chocolate milk or an energy drink,” she said. “People always react when they see how much it is.”

Calories and carbohydrates may seem like things children shouldn't have to worry about. But 2012 numbers from the state Health Department warn that 17 percent of Oklahoma children are obese, while 13 percent are overweight. Nearly a third of Oklahoma adults are obese.

Obesity is a risk factor for Type 2 diabetes. Oklahoma ranks above the national average in obesity and diabetes rates.