Third-Generation Mexicans in Calif. Less Likely To Get Diabetes Care
Third-generation Mexican adults living in California are more likely than their parents to have diabetes but less likely to receive care to help manage their condition, according to a study published in the journal Medical Care, HealthyCal reports.
Study Details
For the study, researchers from the UCLA Center for Health Policy Research sought to determine whether Mexican adults from different generations received the same diabetes care. The researchers defined:
- First-generation individuals as those born in Mexico;
- Second-generation individuals as those who were born in the U.S. but had parents born in Mexico; and
- Third-generation as those who were born in the U.S. and had parents born in the U.S.
The study reviewed whether such individuals in the last year had received:
- An eye exam;
- A foot exam; or
- A hemoglobin test.
The researchers also looked at whether adults in the study had received an influenza vaccine or had an annual doctor visit.
They used data from 3,072 self-identified foreign and U.S.-born Mexican adults who had diabetes and were at least 35 years old. The data came from the California Health Interview Surveys in 2005, 2007, 2009 and 2011/2012.
Findings
The study found that third-generation Mexican adults appeared to need more diabetes care, compared with those from other generations. However, the researchers concluded that third-generation adults were less likely to receive such care.
According to the study, "[H]igher generations were more likely to have worse diabetes care outcomes relative to first generation, even after controlling for health insurance coverage type."
The study concluded that "health care reform provisions that support the implementation of patient-centered medical homes could improve diabetes and other chronic disease management."
The researchers suggested that providers work with patients "to develop tailored diabetes care plans, as well as to identify health care access barriers" (Guzik, HealthyCal, 9/23).
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