Prevalence and Predictors of Diabetes Mellitus and Hypertension in Armenian Americans in Los Angeles

Abstract

Purpose The purpose of this study was to describe the prevalence of diabetes mellitus (DM) and hypertension (HTN) along with associated risk factors among Armenian Americans living in Los Angeles. Methods After Institutional Review Board approval, a sample of 877 Armenian Americans was collected for 5 consecutive years (2011-2015) at a health fair. Collected data included: sociodemographic variables; cardiometabolic data, including systolic (SBP) and diastolic (DBP) blood pressure, glucose (Glu), and lipids; anthropometric data, including height (Ht), weight (Wt), body mass index (BMI), waist circumference (WC), and hip circumference (HC). Retrospective descriptive correlation, test of significance, and logistic regression analyses were performed. Results Findings showed that about 50% of the participants had abnormal waist/hip ratio and approximately one-quarter of the subjects had glucose levels that were indicative of high risk for DM. Logistic regression analysis revealed that high SBP ( P = .04), above normal WC ( P = .03), and high triglycerides ( P = .04) were significant in predicting DM. Moreover, age ( P =.0001), family history of cardiovascular disease ( P= .01), and above normal WC ( P = .04) were found to be significant predictors of HTN. Conclusion Waist circumference indicated to be a strong predictor for DM and HTN. Early detection and timely interventions are important to prevent DM and HTN and their associated complications. For an underserved population, health fairs become one effective avenue for screening, referral, and evaluation.