Diabetes Care In Black And White Veterans In The Southeastern United States Running T

Sysop · January 27th, 2010, 01:08 AM

Objective:Eliminating health disparities is a national priority, but progress has been difficult because of racial/ethnic differences in insurance coverage and access to healthcare. We investigated whether there were differences in diabetes care in the VA — where healthcare access should be relatively uniform.
Research Design and Methods:A1c and plasma glucose were compared before/after diagnosis of diabetes.
Results:
Data were available for 1,456 black and 2,624 white veterans who met criteria for consistent primary care. Over 4-5 years before and after diagnosis, blacks had similar glucose and ~0.2% higher A1c levels compared to whites, and A1c differences could be attributed to glucose-independent associations between race and A1c. Blacks and whites also had comparable intervals between diagnostic-level hyperglycemia and diagnosis, and between diagnosis and drug initiation. However, A1c was higher in blacks at the time of diagnosis (7.8% vs. 7.1%), and at initiation of pharmacotherapy (8.5% vs. 7.8%), both p

January 27th, 2010, 01:08 AM	#1
Sysop Administrator Join Date: Apr 2008 Posts: 83	Diabetes Care In Black And White Veterans In The Southeastern United States Running T Objective:Eliminating health disparities is a national priority, but progress has been difficult because of racial/ethnic differences in insurance coverage and access to healthcare. We investigated whether there were differences in diabetes care in the VA — where healthcare access should be relatively uniform. Research Design and Methods:A1c and plasma glucose were compared before/after diagnosis of diabetes. Results: Data were available for 1,456 black and 2,624 white veterans who met criteria for consistent primary care. Over 4-5 years before and after diagnosis, blacks had similar glucose and ~0.2% higher A1c levels compared to whites, and A1c differences could be attributed to glucose-independent associations between race and A1c. Blacks and whites also had comparable intervals between diagnostic-level hyperglycemia and diagnosis, and between diagnosis and drug initiation. However, A1c was higher in blacks at the time of diagnosis (7.8% vs. 7.1%), and at initiation of pharmacotherapy (8.5% vs. 7.8%), both p