title: [Type 2 diabetes mellitus prevalence and social inequalities for health].
abstract: We have analyzed the relationship between the prevalence of diabetes mellitus (type 2) and socio-economic status of patients. The cross-sectional study included 79,855 patients registered in Belgium capitation-fee primary health care centers. The adjusted prevalence for age and gender was 6.3%, significantly higher than the estimated 4.7% in the general population. The gap is mainly explained by the lower socio-economic status of the patients we take care of. Inside our population we found a 1.8 times higher risk to be affected by diabetes mellitus for patients with lower socio-economic status (95% confidence interval: 1.6-1.9). This higher risk is found for all age groups except for the elderly. Studies should be designed to investigate how that social inequality for health also concern quality of care and therapeutical outcomes.
authors.affiliation: Service d'Etude et de Recherche de la Fédération des Maisons Médicales et Collectifs de Santé Francophones, Bruxelles. baudouin.denis@fmm.be
authors.forename: B
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Denis
authors.forename: V
authors.initials: V
authors.lastname: Bellefontaine
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Marganne
authors.forename: E
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Somassè
authors.forename: P
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Drielsma
mesh_terms: D000368:Aged; D001530:Belgium / Q000453:epidemiology; D003430:Cross-Sectional Studies; D003924:Diabetes Mellitus, Type 2 / Q000191:economics / Q000453:epidemiology*; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D015995:Prevalence; D011320:Primary Health Care; D012923:Social Class