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. 2012 Apr 30:10:42.
doi: 10.1186/1741-7015-10-42.

New race and ethnicity standards: elucidating health disparities in diabetes

Peter T Katzmarzyk  1 , Amanda E Staiano
Affiliations

New race and ethnicity standards: elucidating health disparities in diabetes

Peter T Katzmarzyk et al. BMC Med. .

Abstract

The concepts of race and ethnicity are useful for understanding the distribution of disease in the population and for identifying at-risk groups for prevention and treatment efforts. The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services recently updated the race and ethnicity classifications in order to more effectively monitor health disparities. Differences in chronic disease mortality rates are contributing to race and ethnic health disparities in life expectancy in the United States. The prevalence of diabetes is higher in African Americans and Hispanics compared to white Americans, and parallel trends are seen in diabetes risk factors, including physical inactivity, dietary patterns, and obesity. Further research is required to determine the extent to which the observed differences in diabetes prevalence are attributable to differences in lifestyle versus other characteristics across race and ethnic groups.

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Figures

Figure 1
Figure 1
Lifetime risk (%) of developing diabetes in the United States among individuals born in 2000. Adapted from results presented in Narayan et al. [15]. Error bars indicate 95% confidence intervals.
Figure 2
Figure 2
Age-adjusted prevalence of obesity among U.S. men and women adapted from results published from the 2007-08 U.S. National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey [33]. Error bars indicate 95% confidence intervals.
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