Background Several prospective studies have evaluated the association between body mass index (BMI) and death risk among patients with diabetes; however, the results have been inconsistent. Methods and Results We performed a prospective cohort study of 19,478 African American and 15,354 white patients with type 2 diabetes. Cox proportional hazards regression models were used to estimate the association of different levels of BMI stratification with all-cause mortality. During a mean follow up of 8.7 years, 4,042 deaths were identified. The multivariable-adjusted (age, sex, smoking, income and type of insurance) hazard ratios (HRs) for all-cause mortality associated with BMI levels (18.5–22.9, 23–24.9, 25–29.9, 30–34.9 [reference group], 35–39.9, and ≥40 kg/m2) at baseline were 2.12 (95% confidence interval [CI] 1.80–2.49), 1.74 (1.46–2.07), 1.23 (1.08–1.41), 1.00, 1.19 (1.03–1.39), and 1.23 (1.05–1.43) for African Americans, and 1.70 (1.42–2.04), 1.51 (1.27–1.80), 1.07 (0.94–1.21), 1.00, 1.07 (0.93–1.23), and 1.20 (1.05–1.38) for whites, respectively. When stratified by age, smoking status, patient types or use of anti-diabetic drugs, a U-shaped association was still present. When BMI was included in the Cox model as a time-dependent variable, the U-shaped association of BMI with all-cause mortality risk did not change. Conclusions The current study indicated a U-shaped association of BMI with all-cause mortality risk among African American and white patients with type 2 diabetes. A significantly increased risk of all-cause mortality was observed among African Americans with BMI<30 kg/m2 and BMI ≥35 kg/m2, and among whites with BMI<25 kg/m2 and BMI ≥40 kg/m2 compared with patients with BMI 30–34.9 kg/m2.

This systematic review examines the characteristics and psychometric properties of the instruments used to assess self-care behaviors among persons with type 2 diabetes. Electronic databases were searched for relevant studies published in English within the past 20 years. Thirty different instruments were identified in 75 articles: 18 original instruments on type 2 diabetes mellitus self-care, 8 translated or revised version, and 4 not specific but relevant to diabetes. Twenty-one instruments were multidimensional and addressed multiple dimensions of self-care behavior. Nine were unidimensional: three focusing exclusively on medication taking, three on diet, one on physical activity, one on self-monitoring of blood glucose, and one on oral care. Most instruments (22 of 30) were developed during the last decade. Only 10 were repeated more than once. Nineteen of the 30 instruments reported both reliability and validity information but with varying degrees of rigor. In conclusion, most instruments used to measure self-care were relatively new and had been applied to only a limited number of studies with incomplete psychometric profiles. Rigorous psychometric testing, operational definition of self-care, and sufficient explanation of scoring need to be considered for further instrument development.

BackgroundThe Diabetes Impact Study followed up a large national population-based screening study to estimate the use of and expenditures for medical care caused by diabetes in China and to ascertain the use and cost of essential basic medicines and care.MethodsIn 2009–10, the study team interviewed 1482 adults with diabetes and 1553 adults with glucose tolerance in the normal range from population-based random samples at 12 sites in China. The response rate was 67%.FindingsAfter adjusting for age, sex, and urban/rural location, people with diabetes received 1.93 times more days of inpatient treatment, 2.40 times more outpatient visits, and 3.35 times more medications than people with normal glucose tolerance (all p<0.05). Adjusted expenditures for medical care were 3.38 times higher among people with diabetes than among people with normal glucose tolerance (p<0.01, unadjusted 3.97). Persons who were diagnosed with ≥10 years prior to the survey paid 3.75 times as much for medical care as those with ≤5 years of diagnosed diabetes. Among persons with diabetes, 45.2% took medication to control blood sugar, 21.1% took an antihypertensive medicine, 22.4% took daily aspirin, and 1.8% took a statin. Over the three months before the interview, 46.1% of persons with diabetes recalled seeing a doctor, 48.9% recalled a blood pressure measurement, and 54.5% recalled a blood sugar test. Over the year preceding the interview, 32.1% recalled a retinal screening and 17.9% recalled a foot examination.ConclusionsIn China, health care use and costs were dramatically higher for people with diabetes than for people with normal glucose tolerance and, in relative terms, much higher than in industrialized countries. Low-cost generic medicines that would reduce diabetes expenditures were not fully used.