High Prevalence of Diabetes Among Indo-Guyanese Adults, Schenectady, New York

Abstract

IntroductionThe Indo-Guyanese population is the largest immigrant minority population in Schenectady, New York. A clinic-based study in Schenectady and surveillance reports from Guyana found high diabetes prevalence and mortality among Guyanese of Indian descent. No community-based study has focused on diabetes among Indo-Guyanese immigrants in the United States. We sought information on the prevalence of diabetes and its complications in Indo-Guyanese adults in Schenectady and compared it with the prevalence among non-Hispanic white adults in Schenectady.MethodsWe administered a cross-sectional health survey at community venues in Schenectady in 2011. We identified diagnosed diabetes and its complications through self-reports by using a reliability-tested questionnaire. The final data set included 313 Indo-Guyanese and 327 non-Hispanic white adults aged 18 years or older. We compared the prevalence of diagnosed diabetes and diabetes complications between Indo-Guyanese and non-Hispanic whites.ResultsMost Indo-Guyanese participants were born in Guyana, whereas most non-Hispanic whites were born in the United States. The crude prevalence of diagnosed diabetes among Indo-Guyanese participants and non-Hispanic whites was 30.3% and 16.1%, respectively. The age-standardized prevalence was 28.7% among Indo-Guyanese participants, significantly higher than that among non-Hispanic whites (14.5%, P < .001). Indo-Guyanese participants who had diabetes had a lower body mass index and were more likely to report poor or fair general health and eye or vision complications than non-Hispanic whites who had diabetes.ConclusionOur study confirms the higher prevalence of diabetes in Indo-Guyanese adults in Schenectady. The higher prevalence of complications suggests poor control of diabetes. Excess burden of diabetes in this population calls for further research and public health action.

Assessing Needs and Feasibility of Diabetes Self-management Coaching at Faith-Based Organizations for Indo-Guyanese Immigrants

“…However, only 1 participant had a personal e-mail account, and none owned a smart phone. As shown in Table 1, these characteristics are very similar to the characteristics of the Indo-Guyanese respondents (n = 100) from the Schenectady Diabetes Survey, 3 a population-based survey, supporting representativeness of the participants.…”

“…Diabetes affects the Indo-Guyanese community disproportionately; the prevalence of type 2 diabetes in the adult population is an estimated 30%. 2,3 The Indo-Guyanese also show signs of poor diabetes management. Compared to non-Hispanic whites, Indo-Guyanese with diabetes are significantly more likely to report poor or fair general health, eye complications, 3 and coronary artery disease.…”

“…2,3 The Indo-Guyanese also show signs of poor diabetes management. Compared to non-Hispanic whites, Indo-Guyanese with diabetes are significantly more likely to report poor or fair general health, eye complications, 3 and coronary artery disease. 4 A surveillance report found that foreign-born Indo-Guyanese population had the highest age-adjusted diabetes mortality rate among major immigrant groups.…”

Spatial Access to Faith-based Diabetes Intervention for Guyanese Adults in Schenectady, New York

“…Details of the survey methodology are reported elsewhere. 15 Briefly, adult Schenectady residents 18 years of age and older were invited to participate in the survey at 36 community locations and through personal referrals. The survey used a reliability-tested, 42-item self-administered questionnaire written in a sixth-grade reading level in English.…”

“…Both clinic- and community-based surveillance found a highly elevated prevalence of type 2 diabetes and signs of poor glycemic control among the Guyanese in Schenectady. 14,15 Faith-based diabetes intervention could be very relevant to this population, who are mostly low income and medically underserved but have active faith communities.…”