Diabetes Awareness among African Americans in Rural North Carolina

Abstract

Objective: To evaluate the extent of diabetes unawareness in rural North Carolina.

Methods: Randomly administered an eight-question survey to African Americans age 15-74 living in Halifax County, North Carolina. Results: Ninety-five out of 116 eligible participants completed the survey (82% response rate). Most (67%) of the participants reported having two or more major risk factors for Type II diabetes (diabetes mellitus). More than half (51.6%) of the participants were obese. Most (96.8%) of the participants reported having been tested for diabetes at some point in their lives (10% tested positive, only 8.4% of the remaining 90% reported ever having a second test).

Conclusion: Diabetes mellitus is a very prevalent problem among the African American population of Halifax County, North Carolina. Our study underscores the fact that patients are not systematically screened and followed-up for diabetes mellitus. More healthcare and commnity programs need to be adapted to fight this serious public health problem.