This article was originally published here
Yale J Biol Med. 2021, March 31; 94 (1): 5-12. eCollection 2021 Mar.
ABSTRACT
Hypertension and type 2 diabetes (T2D) are major public health issues that disproportionately affect minority communities, including native Hawaiians and Pacific Islanders (NHPI). Minority communities are also more likely to have undiagnosed hypertension and T2D. Marshallese Pacific Islanders have been shown to have high rates of diagnosed and undiagnosed hypertension and T2D. Using survey and biometric data collected from 378 overweight / obese adults at the Marshallese Pacific Islander, this study documents the prevalence of hypertension and T2D, as well as the prevalence of undiagnosed hypertension and T2D. The study also examines associations between undiagnosed high blood pressure and undiagnosed T2D and age group, gender, access to health care (defined by foregoing care based on cost and health insurance status) and body mass index (BMI). Of participants with blood pressure readings suggestive of high blood pressure, 68.4% went undiagnosed, and of participants with HbA1c suggestive of T2D, 31.6% went undiagnosed. A quarter of the participants (24.5%) had blood pressure and HbA1c measurements that are indicative of both undiagnosed hypertension and undiagnosed T2D. Undiagnosed hypertension was significantly associated with age group (p <0.0001) and gender (p = 0.028). Undiagnosed T2D was significantly associated with age group (p <0.05), dispensing with care due to cost (p = 0.018), health insurance status (p = 0.035), and BMI (p = 0.001). Participants in this study had high rates of undiagnosed hypertension and undiagnosed T2D. These results will be immediately useful to those studying hypertension and T2D disparities between Marshallese and other NHPI populations.
PMID: 33795978 | PMC: PMC7995951
