Asian Americans are at high risk for diabetes. Here's what can help

Attendees at a health fair at the Balaji Temple, in Aurora, Ill., learn about the SAHELI diabetes prevention program. (Teresa Crawford/Northwestern University)

Back in 2021, Shaheen Aamir felt too tired to play actively with her two kids. "I used to tell them, 'You guys can play, Mom wants to sit,'" she says. Aamir says she never exercised and was worried about her weight.

Now, three years later, 32-year-old Aamir starts every day with some yoga or dancing. It's been part of her routine since she took a four-month course on preventing Type 2 diabetes. "It changed my life, health- and fitness-wise," Aamir says, "I feel light and energetic. It's raised my self-esteem."