Ethnic disparities and trends in glycemic control among adults with type 2 diabetes in the U.S. from 1988 to 2002.

Tight blood glucose control has been shown to effectively reduce the incidence of retinopathy, neuropathy, and nephropathy in type 2 diabetic patients (1). The American Diabetes Association recommends that patients with diabetes maintain an HbA1c (A1C) level of <7% (2). Our findings, using the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES) data, indicate that from 1999 to 2000, only 36% of adults with type 2 diabetes in the U.S. met this glycemic control goal (3). The current report updates our previous findings of trends in glycemic control from NHANES III (1988–1994) to NHANES 1999–2002. We also appraise the current status of ethnic disparities in diabetes control by examining whether ethnic differences in glycemic control exist among adults aged ≥20 years with type 2 diabetes in the U.S. We used questionnaire and laboratory data from NHANES III, NHANES 1999–2000, and the newly released NHANES 2001–2002. Data on demographic information, including race, sex, age, BMI, diagnosis and duration of diabetes, and medication use, were collected by structured questionnaires. To identify diabetes status, participants were asked, “Other than during pregnancy, has a doctor ever told you that you …