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[ Recorded presentation ] Recorded presentation

Family history of diabetes, health status and health behaviors among African Americans

Kesha A. Baptiste-Roberts, MPH1, Tiffany L. Gary, PhD1, Desmond Williams, MBChB MPhil PhD2, Edward Gregg, PhD3, Michelle D. Owens, PhD4, G Beckles5, Deborah Porterfield, MD6, and Michael M. Engelgau, MD,, MS4. (1) Department of Epidemiology, Johns Hopkins University, Bloomberg School of Public Health, 615 N Wolfe St. Rm E6035, Baltimore, MD 21205, 443-287-2769, kbrobert@jhsph.edu, (2) Division of Diabetes Translation, NIH, CDC, Mail stop K10, Atlanta, GA 30341, (3) Division of Diabetes Translation, Centers for Disease Control & Prevention, Mailstop K10, Atlanta, GA 30341, (4) Division of Diabetes Translation, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, 4770 Buford Highway, NE, Mailstop K-10, Atlanta, GA 30341-3724, (5) Division of Diabetes Translation, CDC, CDC, Mail Stop 10, Atlanta, GA 30341, (6) Diabetes Prevention & Control, North Carolina Department of Health & Human Services, 1915 Mail Service Center, Raleigh, NC 27699

Objective: To evaluate the relationship between positive family history of diabetes, health status, and health behaviors. Methods: We conducted a cross-sectional analysis of 1122 African-American adults without diabetes in Project DIRECT (Diabetes Interventions Reaching and Educating Communities Together). We evaluated the relationship between positive family history of diabetes (parent or sibling with diabetes) with both health status: obesity and self reported rating of health and health behaviors: fat, fruit and vegetable intake, weight loss behaviors, and diabetes screening. We used STATA Survey commands to account for the complex survey design and logistic regression to adjust for age, gender and education. Results: The population was 62% female, mean age 45 years. We observed significant odds ratios (OR), (P<0.05) for positive family history of diabetes with health status variables: obesity, OR=1.83 (95% confidence interval 1.30, 2.59), fair and poor rating of health, OR=1.61 (1.00, 2.61) and OR=2.75 (1.12, 6.77) respectively, and health behaviors: daily fruit and vegetable intake OR=1.09 (1.01, 1.20), attempting weight loss, OR=1.32 (1.00, 1.76), doctor recommendation of weight loss, OR=1.40 (1.01, 1.94), and diabetes screening, OR=1.81 (1.39, 2.35). We did not observe significant associations for fat intake and physical activity level. Conclusions: Our data suggests that positive family history of diabetes is associated with poor health status, obesity, preventive weight loss behaviors and diabetes screening. Although persons with a positive family history of diabetes have poorer health status, they may perceive a risk of developing diabetes and practice health behaviors and screening to prevent or delay onset of diabetes.

Learning Objectives:

Keywords: Diabetes, Health Behavior

Presenting author's disclosure statement:
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.

[ Recorded presentation ] Recorded presentation

Diabetes

The 132nd Annual Meeting (November 6-10, 2004) of APHA