Type 2 diabetes is a common and serious disease in the United States, but many people remain unaware of their status. Failure to detect diabetes may be a consequence of limited health care access or utilization or it may reflect missed opportunities for screening within health care encounters. This study examined the association between measures of health care access and utilization and the prevalence of undiagnosed Type 2 diabetes among adults in the United States. The prevalence of undiagnosed diabetes was estimated using a nationally representative sample of 6,029 adults from the Third National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey, 1988-1994. Undiagnosed diabetes status was determined using either a fasting plasma glucose or an oral glucose tolerance test. Several measures of health care access were constructed. The results of this study show that the prevalence of undiagnosed diabetes does not appear related to limited access to health care, nor to limited utilization of health services. The prevalence of undiagnosed diabetes is as high or higher for those who have access to and/or utilize the health care system as for those who do not. These results hold after controlling for age and race or ethnicity. Lack of evidence that the prevalence of undiagnosed diabetes is related to limited health care access or utilization lends credence to the argument that missed screening opportunities may be an important factor. It appears that there is ample opportunity for improvements in health outcomes, in a cost-effective manner, through “opportunistic” screening for Type 2 diabetes.
Learning Objectives: N / A
Keywords: Access to Health Care, Diabetes
Presenting author's disclosure statement:
Organization/institution whose products or services will be discussed: None
I do not have any significant financial interest/arrangement or affiliation with any organization/institution whose products or services are being discussed in this session.