HOME HELP FEEDBACK SUBSCRIPTIONS ARCHIVE SEARCH TABLE OF CONTENTS		QUICK SEARCH:   [advanced] Author: Keyword(s): Year:  Vol:  Page:

This Article Full Text Full Text (PDF) All Versions of this Article: dc07-0382v1 31/2/240    most recent Purchase Article View Shopping Cart Alert me when this article is cited Alert me if a correction is posted Services Email this article to a friend Similar articles in this journal Similar articles in PubMed Alert me to new issues of the journal Download to citation manager Request Permissions Citing Articles Citing Articles via HighWire Citing Articles via Google Scholar Google Scholar Articles by Kirk, J. K. Articles by Quandt, S. A. Search for Related Content PubMed PubMed Citation Articles by Kirk, J. K. Articles by Quandt, S. A. Social Bookmarking                What's this?

Disparities in A1C Levels Between Hispanic and Non-Hispanic White Adults With Diabetes

A meta-analysis

¹ Department of Family and Community Medicine, Wake Forest University School of Medicine, Winston-Salem, North Carolina
² Division of Public Health Sciences, Department of Biostatical Sciences, Wake Forest University School of Medicine, Winston-Salem, North Carolina
³ Division of Public Health Sciences, Department of Epidemiology and Prevention, Wake Forest University School of Medicine, Winston-Salem, North Carolina
⁴ Hubert Department of Global Health, Emory University and Division of Diabetes Translation, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Atlanta Georgia

Address correspondence and reprint requests to Julienne K. Kirk, PharmD, CDE, Associate Professor, Department of Family and Community Medicine, Wake Forest University School of Medicine, Medical Center Boulevard, Winston-Salem, NC 27157-1084. E-mail: jkirk{at}wfubmc.edu

OBJECTIVE—Hispanics have higher rates of diabetes and diabetes-related complications than do non-Hispanic whites. A meta-analysis was conducted to estimate the difference between the mean values of A1C for these two groups.

RESEARCH DESIGN AND METHODS—We executed a PubMed search of articles published from 1993 through July 2007. Data sources included PubMed, Web of Science, Cumulative Index to Nursing and Allied Health, the Cochrane Library, Combined Health Information Database, and Education Resources Information Center. Data on sample size, age, sex, A1C, geographical location, and study design were extracted. Cross-sectional data and baseline data from clinical trials and cohort studies for Hispanics and non-Hispanic whites with diabetes were included. Studies were excluded if they included individuals <18 years of age or patients with pre-diabetes or gestational diabetes.

RESULTS—A total of 495 studies were reviewed, of which 73 contained data on A1C for Hispanics and non-Hispanic whites, and 11 met the inclusion criteria. Meta-analysis revealed a statistically significant mean difference (P < 0.0001) of –0.46 (95% CI –0.63 to –0.33), correlating to an 0.5% higher A1C for Hispanics. Grouping studies by design (cross-sectional or cohort), method of data collection for A1C (chart review or blood sampling), and care type (managed or nonmanaged) yielded similar results.

CONCLUSIONS—In this meta-analysis, A1C was 0.5% higher in Hispanic patients with diabetes than in non-Hispanic patients. Understanding the reasons for this disparity should be a focus for future research.

Abbreviations: MeSH, Medical Subject Heading

CiteULike    Del.icio.us    Digg    Reddit    Technorati    What's this?

This article has been cited by other articles:

				B. R. Shah Utilization of physician services for diabetic patients from ethnic minorities J. Public Health Med., September 1, 2008; 30(3): 327 - 331. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]