[Blood glucose control in diabetes patients seen in primary health care centers].
OBJECTIVE
To identify factors associated to poor glycemic control among diabetic patients seen at primary health care centers.


METHODS
A cross-sectional study was carried out in a sample of 372 diabetic patients attending 32 primary health care centers in southern Brazil. Data on three hierarchical levels of health unit infrastructure, medical care and patient characteristics were collected.


RESULTS
The frequency of poor glycemic control was 50.5%. Multivariate analysis (multilevel method) showed that patients with body mass indexes below 27 kg/m2, patients on oral hypoglycemic agents or insulin, and patients diagnosed as diabetic over five years prior to the interview were more likely to present poor glycemic control when compared to their counterparts.


CONCLUSIONS
Given the hierarchical data structuring, all associations found suggest that factors associated to hyperglycemia are related to patient-level characteristics.
Assunção
Maria Cecília F
MC
Departamento de Nutrição, Faculdade de Nutrição, Universidade Federal de Pelotas, Pelotas, RS, Brazil. mcassuncao@epidemio-ufpel.org.br
Santos
Iná S
IS
Valle
Neiva C J
NC
D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D015992:Body Mass Index; D001938:Brazil; D003430:Cross-Sectional Studies; D048909:Diabetes Complications / Q000517:prevention & control*; D005260:Female; D006306:Health Surveys; D006801:Humans; D006943:Hyperglycemia / Q000517:prevention & control*; D007407:Interviews as Topic; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D015999:Multivariate Analysis; D011320:Primary Health Care / Q000592:standards* / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D012959:Socioeconomic Factors