Racial Disparities in Diabetes Control Not Solely Linked to Lower Treatment Adherence Among Blacks

Lower diabetes treatment adherence among blacks does not fully explain racial disparities in diabetes control, according to a study published in the journal Diabetes Care. Blacks with type 2 diabetes tend to have more problems controlling their blood sugar than whites and also are at a higher risk of developing complications from diabetes, according to the study. Research has also found that blacks are less likely than whites to adhere to their medication regimens. Researchers sought to determine whether this lack of adherence contributed to blacks’ lack of ability to manage their condition. For the study, researchers from Harvard Medical School, led by Alyce Adams, reviewed the medical records of 1,806 adults with type 2 diabetes.

Researchers found that in general, blacks had a higher average blood sugar level than whites 12 months after beginning drug therapy. Blacks were also slightly less likely to adhere to their medication regimen, which was based on whether they refilled their prescriptions. Neither of the findings explained blacks’ poorer disease management, according to the study. Researchers suggested that because blacks tend to have more severe diabetes at the time of therapy, their disease might be more difficult to control and, thus, they might need more aggressive therapy from the beginning.

Researchers said that more research is needed to determine the exact cause of the disparity but noted that improving black patients’ medication adherence alone is not likely to reduce the gap.

Diabetes Care 31:916-921, 2008

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FACT:
Britain‘s Children Are The Fattest In Europe: British children are among the worst in a Europe-wide obesity league table, with around a third weighing more than they should. A couch potato lifestyle and a growing appetite for fast food is blamed for our boys and girls weighing in near the top of a 27-country fat league. Scottish girls take second place in the female rankings, with almost 33 per cent overweight. English girls are fourth, with 29.3 per cent too heavy for their height. The heaviest girls are in Portugal (34.3 per cent), while the slimmest are in Latvia and Lithuania (3.5 per cent overweight). Among the boys, Scotland was again second, with almost 35 per cent too heavy for their height. Only Spanish boys are heavier. Obesity experts said the results could be partly explained by a couch potato lifestyle, in which TV dinners have replaced family meals and computer games are preferred to outdoor play. Type 2 diabetes, which was once a problem for overweight middle aged adults, is being diagnosed in teenagers, and chubby children are being equipped with masks to ensure they do not suffocate in their sleep. But while British youngsters totter near the top of the heavyweight league, children in other countries are starting to lose weight.