Are Mexican-Americans with undiagnosed pre-diabetes and diabetes covered by health insurance, and are they utilizing preventative care services?

Mexican-Americans(MAs) are disproportionately burdened by diabetes and associated diseases.  Access to health care and utilization of preventative care services can alleviate this public health concern.  However, few studies have assessed whether at-risk individuals are utilizing health care services to prevent diabetes-related complications.  Therefore, this study examined insurance status and preventative care compliance among MAs with undiagnosed cases of pre-diabetes and diabetes.

Primary data was collected from 117 MAs living in the Dallas-Fort Worth area.  Fasting blood glucose(FBG) was measured among MAs who had never been diagnosed with diabetes.  FBG measures of ≥100mg/dl were used to identify undiagnosed cases of pre-diabetes and diabetes.  Further analyses examined whether those participants were covered by health insurance and whether they were compliant with preventative care recommendations. 

The majority of the sample was first-generation MA (87.9%) and had no previous diagnosis of diabetes (90.2%).  The mean age and FBG for undiagnosed participants was 43.20±12.16yrs and 99.89±22.29mg/dl, respectively.  Nearly half (40.6%) of undiagnosed participants had FBG levels ≥100mg/dl.  Of those, 82.5% did not have health insurance, and 48.4% had not undergone a routine medical check-up in over 2 years; 25.8% in over 5 years.

This analysis revealed that Mexican-Americans who have limited access to health care and are non-compliant with preventative care recommendations are at risk for severe health complications.  Results provide firm basis for the need for early detection/prevention strategies to reduce the prevalence of diabetes in this ethnic group and to alleviate the economic burdens on the US health care system.