title: A longitudinal study of sociodemographic predictors of hemoglobin A1c.
abstract: This research examined sociodemographic predictors of hemoglobin A1c (HbA1c) among diabetic patients in an outpatient urban medical center. All patients with diabetes during a 7.5-year period were selected. Regression analyses determined the association of the last HbA1c level with insurance, ethnicity, age, gender, marital status, employment, socialsecuritynumber (present/absent), and number of clinic visits. Patients (N=748) were followed an average of 3.2 years. After multivariate adjustment, the following variables predicted a higher value for the last HbAlc (P < 0.05): Absence of insurance, African American ethnicity, Hispanic ethnicity, younger age, and fewer clinic visits per year. These relationships to HbA1c persisted after adjustment for follow-up duration and after limiting the analysis to patients with type 2 diabetes only (N=662). In conclusion, absence ofhealthinsurance, ethnicity, young age, and fewer clinic visits are independent predictors of HbAlc and should be given consideration in diabetes research and glycemic control.
authors.affiliation: University of Connecticut School of Medicine, Farmington, USA.
authors.forename: George
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Roush
authors.forename: Armi
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Salonga
authors.forename: Navin
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Bajaj
mesh_terms: D001741:Black or African American; D000367:Age Factors; D000368:Aged; D003922:Diabetes Mellitus, Type 1 / Q000097:blood* / Q000208:ethnology*; D003924:Diabetes Mellitus, Type 2 / Q000097:blood* / Q000208:ethnology*; D005260:Female; D006442:Glycated Hemoglobin / Q000378:metabolism*; D006630:Hispanic or Latino; D006801:Humans; D007348:Insurance, Health; D008137:Longitudinal Studies; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D009819:Office Visits; D012959:Socioeconomic Factors
chemical_list: D006442:Glycated Hemoglobin