Community networking as a means for identifying people with diabetes in a rural, predominantly bicultural community in New Zealand.
OBJECTIVE
To assess the use of community networking to estimate the prevalence of diabetes in a predominantly New Zealand Maori and European community.


METHODS
A cross-sectional survey of people with known diabetes identified either through general practice or community networks (others with diabetes, public notices or public meetings) was undertaken. Ascertainment was compared using capture-recapture methods for two independent samples.


RESULTS
Overall ascertainment by community networking was greater for Maori than Europeans (40 +/- 3% vs 15 +/- 2%, p < 0.001). Ascertainment using general practice registers was comparable in the two ethnic groups (48 +/- 4% vs 55 +/- 5%, respectively). Women were more likely than men to be contacted through community networking (odds ratio 1.47, 1.05-2.06).


CONCLUSIONS
In closely knit communities, community networking provides an independent source for estimating the prevalence of diabetes.
Simmons
D
D
Department of Rural Health, University of Melbourne, Victoria, Australia. d.simmons@medicine.unimelb.edu.au
Kirkwood
M
M
Maxwell
S
S
Weblemoe
T
T
Gatland
B A
BA
Richards
D
D
D018672:Community Health Planning; D019058:Community Networks; D003430:Cross-Sectional Studies; D003920:Diabetes Mellitus / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000453:epidemiology*; D004812:Epidemiologic Methods; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D020380:Needs Assessment; D009520:New Zealand / Q000453:epidemiology; D015995:Prevalence; D012424:Rural Population