Diabetes in African American youth: prevalence, incidence, and clinical characteristics: the SEARCH for Diabetes in Youth Study.
OBJECTIVE
To report the prevalence and incidence of type 1 and type 2 diabetes among African American youth and to describe demographic, clinical, and behavioral characteristics.


METHODS
Data from the SEARCH for Diabetes in Youth Study, a population-based, multicenter observational study of youth with clinically diagnosed diabetes aged 0-19 years, were used to estimate the prevalence for calendar year 2001 (692 cases) and incidence based on 748 African American case subjects diagnosed in 2002-2005. Characteristics of these youth were obtained during a research visit for 436 African American youth with type 1 diabetes and 212 African American youth with type 2 diabetes.


RESULTS
Among African American youth aged 0-9 years, prevalence (per 1,000) of type 1 diabetes was 0.57 (95% CI 0.47-0.69) and for those aged 10-19 years 2.04 (1.85-2.26). Among African American youth aged 0-9 years, annual type 1 diabetes incidence (per 100,000) was 15.7 (13.7-17.9) and for those aged 10-19 years 15.7 (13.8-17.8). A1C was >or=9.5% among 50% of youth with type 1 diabetes aged >or=15 years. Across age-groups and sex, 44.7% of African American youth with type 1 diabetes were overweight or obese. Among African American youth aged 10-19 years, prevalence (per 1,000) of type 2 diabetes was 1.06 (0.93-1.22) and annual incidence (per 100,000) was 19.0 (16.9-21.3). About 60% of African American youth with type 2 diabetes had an annual household income of <$25,000. Among those aged >or=15 years, 27.5% had an A1C >or=9.5%, 22.5% had high blood pressure, and, across subgroups of age and sex, >90% were overweight or obese.


CONCLUSIONS
Type 1 diabetes presents a serious burden among African American youth aged <10 years, and African American adolescents are impacted substantially by both type 1 and type 2 diabetes.
Mayer-Davis
Elizabeth J
EJ
Department of Nutrition, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Chapel Hill, North Carolina, USA.
Beyer
Jennifer
J
Bell
Ronny A
RA
Dabelea
Dana
D
D'Agostino
Ralph
R
Imperatore
Giuseppina
G
Lawrence
Jean M
JM
Liese
Angela D
AD
Liu
Lenna
L
Marcovina
Santica
S
Rodriguez
Beatriz
B
D000293:Adolescent; D044383:Black People / Q000208:ethnology*; D002648:Child; D002675:Child, Preschool; D003922:Diabetes Mellitus, Type 1 / Q000453:epidemiology* / Q000208:ethnology* / Q000473:pathology; D003924:Diabetes Mellitus, Type 2 / Q000453:epidemiology* / Q000208:ethnology* / Q000473:pathology; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007223:Infant; D007231:Infant, Newborn; D008297:Male; D015995:Prevalence; D014481:United States / Q000453:epidemiology; D055815:Young Adult; D001741:Black or African American