National Alliance for Hispanic Health Survey Provides Insights into Hispanic Attitudes Towards Diabetes
"Diabetes has touched the lives of millions of Hispanic families," said
A Common Condition and Source of Worry
A majority of Hispanics surveyed say they know someone who has diabetes and are worried that a family member will develop diabetes.
- More than two-thirds of Hispanics with diabetes (64 percent) report they know someone with diabetes, compared to non-Hispanic whites (77 percent) and non-Hispanic blacks (69 percent).
- Hispanics with diabetes were more likely to worry that, besides themselves, someone in their family would develop diabetes, (68 percent compared to 52 and 53 percent for non-Hispanic whites and non-Hispanic blacks with diabetes, respectively).
- Hispanic respondents were less likely to believe a person can live a healthy life with diabetes (86 percent of those with diabetes compared to 96 percent of non-Hispanic whites and 89 percent of non-Hispanic blacks with diabetes).
Patient-Provider Connection Must Be Strengthened
Of the Hispanic respondents with diabetes, 77 percent said health care providers are their most trusted source of information for health concerns. However, the survey found that:
- Of the 98 percent of Hispanics with diabetes who said a person can take actions to control diabetes, only 12 percent cited seeing a health care provider regularly as an action to manage the disease; similar to non-Hispanic whites (10 percent) and non-Hispanic blacks (11 percent).
- One in four (25 percent) Hispanics with diabetes responded "no" or "don't know" when asked if their doctor or other health care provider had told them what type of diabetes they have; almost twice as high as for non-Hispanic whites (17 percent) and lower than for non-Hispanic blacks (34 percent).
Improved Education Efforts Needed
The survey revealed there is broad awareness of symptoms and causes of diabetes among Hispanic respondents. But given the higher rate at which the Hispanic community is affected by the disease, improved education efforts are needed to continue to improve awareness. Of those surveyed:
- 73 percent of Hispanics with diabetes could name a cause of diabetes; however, this rate was lower than for non-Hispanic whites (89 percent) and non-Hispanic blacks (83 percent).
- More than a third of Hispanics without diabetes (38 percent) could not name a symptom of diabetes; similar to non-Hispanic whites and non-Hispanic blacks (33 percent).
Prevention is Possible
Of those surveyed, 87 percent of Hispanics with diabetes believe a person can take actions to prevent diabetes compared to 80 percent of non-Hispanic whites and 69 percent of non-Hispanic blacks. However, when asked about ways to prevent diabetes, maintaining a healthy weight was cited by only 16 percent of Hispanics with diabetes compared to 25 percent of non-Hispanic whites and 8 percent of non-Hispanic blacks with diabetes.
Management Still Unclear for Most Hispanics With Diabetes
Although almost all Hispanic respondents with diabetes reported a person with diabetes can take actions to control their disease (98 percent), some key disease management practices were identified by less than half of those surveyed:
- Being physically active (30 percent)
- Taking prescribed medication (37 percent)
- Maintaining a healthy weight (6 percent)
- Monitoring blood sugar (3 percent)
"The survey showed us that there are specific areas within diabetes education and awareness that need to be addressed in order to raise awareness among Hispanics," said Dr.
For more information about the study, please visit www.hispanichealth.org.
Survey Design
The study was conducted by the
About Diabetes
More than 29 million Americans and an estimated 382 million people worldwide have type 1 or type 2 diabetes, and nearly 28 percent of Americans with diabetes—totaling 8 million people—are undiagnosed. In the U.S., approximately 12 percent of those aged 20 and older have diabetes. T2D is the most common type, accounting for an estimated 90 to 95 percent of all adult diabetes cases in the U.S. Diabetes is a chronic condition that occurs when the body either does not properly produce, or use, the hormone insulin.
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About Lilly Diabetes
Lilly has been a global leader in diabetes care since 1923, when we introduced the world's first commercial insulin. Today we are building upon this heritage by working to meet the diverse needs of people with diabetes and those who care for them. Through research and collaboration, a broad and growing product portfolio and a continued determination to provide real solutions—from medicines to support programs and more—we strive to make life better for all those affected by diabetes around the world. For more information, visit www.lillydiabetes.com.
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Communications Assistant
Email: ahernandez@hispanichealth.org
Phone: (202) 797-4357
Public Relations
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Phone: (203) 448-1893
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Lilly Diabetes
Email: mccully_molly@lilly.com
Phone: (317) 478-5423
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