American Diabetes Association Unveils New Diabetes Risk Test

Market Watch: March 27, 2012, 8:00 a.m. EDT.

Updated Algorithm Makes Test Simple to Take; Facebook Makes It Easy to Share

ALEXANDRIA, VA, Mar 27, 2012 (MARKETWIRE via COMTEX) — Today marks the 24th annual American Diabetes Association Alert Day(R) and the Association has released a new and improved Diabetes Risk Test to help Americans determine whether they are at risk for developing type 2 diabetes. Updated with a more sophisticated algorithm and available on Facebook, the test can be taken in less than a minute, and easily shared with family, friends and loved ones. To encourage individuals to take and share the new Diabetes Risk Test, Boar’s Head(R), manufacturer of premium delicatessen products, will donate $5 to the Association for every risk test taken, up to $50,000 from now until April 27, 2012.

The Diabetes Risk Test requires users to answer simple questions about weight, age, family history and other potential risk factors for diabetes. Their results are reported as a numerical score indicating low or high risk for developing type 2 diabetes. Those at higher risk are encouraged to speak with their health care provider to learn more about ways to help reduce their risk or delay onset of the disease. Read More

Steps Toward the Meaningful Translation of Prevention Strategies for Type 2 Diabetes

Care.diabetesjournals.org: William T. Cefalu, MD, March 23, 2012.

As a scientific and medical community, we are clearly in a position to take the next logical steps toward the ultimate goal to reduce progression to type 2 diabetes for our populations at risk. One can argue that we no longer need to debate on the incredible increase in obesity and in new cases of type 2 diabetes occurring worldwide. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, 35% of U.S. adults aged 20 years or older may have prediabetes. When this statistic is applied to the entire U.S. population in 2010, it would suggest that prediabetic states exist in an estimated 79 million Americans aged 20 years or older (1). In addition, it is well recognized that because of both the associated comorbidities and complications and the costs associated with the care of the disease, diabetes will continue to represent one of the major health issues that we will face in the twenty-first century. Furthermore, there is no argument that the major factors contributing to the development of diabetes consist of lifestyle habits (i.e., physical inactivity and dietary intake) and obesity. Read More

Patient and Physician Factors Associated With Adherence to Diabetes Medications

Tde.sagepub.com: Antoinette M. Schoenthaler, EdD, Brian S. Schwartz, Craig Wood, Walter F. Stewart, March 22, 2012.

The purpose of this study was to examine the influence of patient and physician psychosocial, sociodemographic, and disease-related factors on diabetes medication adherence. These factors were also examined as effect modifiers of the association between quality of the patient-physician relationship and medication adherence.

Methods

Data were collected from 41 Geisinger Clinic primary care physicians and 608 of their patients with type 2 diabetes. Adherence to oral hypoglycemic medications was calculated using a medication possession ratio based on physician orders in electronic health records (MPR_EHR). MPR_EHR was defined as the proportion of total time in the 2 years prior to study enrollment that the patient was in possession of oral hypoglycemic medications. Linear regression was used to examine the influence of patient- and physician-level factors on adherence. Effect modification of the patient-physician relationship-adherence association was evaluated by adding the main effects of the individual-level factors and their cross-products to the models. Read More

New evidence links Alzheimer’s disease and diabetes

Eurekalert.org: March 20, 2012

An emerging body of research suggests that Alzheimer’s disease may be linked to insulin resistance, constituting a third type of diabetes. This model is based on several observations including an increased risk of developing Alzheimer’s disease for diabetic patients, and reduced insulin levels in the brain tissue of Alzheimer’s disease patients. Though intriguing, the existing evidence does not reveal if defective insulin signaling is causative of Alzheimer’s or how insulin resistance impacts cognitive function. Two back-to-back research articles in the Journal of Clinical Investigation – led by Konrad Talbot, Steve Arnold and colleagues at the University of Pennsylvania and by Fernanda De Felice, Sergio Ferreria and colleagues at the University of Rio de Janeiro – address the connection between insulin resistance and Alzheimer’s disease. The University of Pennsylvania team examined insulin signaling in human brain tissue postmortem, and concluded that the activation state of many insulin signaling molecules were highly related to memory and cognitive function. They further suggest that insulin resistance is a common and early feature of Alzheimer’s disease. The De Felice group further observed impaired insulin signaling in Alzheimer’s brain tissue in rodent and non-human primate model systems as well as from tissue from human patients.  Read More

Does Diabetes Care Differ by Type of Chronic Comorbidity?

An evaluation of the Piette and Kerr framework

Care.diabetesjournals.org: Sri Ram Pentakota, MD, MPH1,2⇓, Mangala Rajan, MBA1, B. Graeme Fincke, MD3,4, Chin-Lin Tseng, DRPH1, Donald R. Miller, PHD3,4, Cindy L. Christiansen, PHD3,4, Eve A. Kerr, MD, MPH5,6 and Leonard M. Pogach, MD, MBA1, March 19,2012.

Effects of Food-Related Interventions for African American Women With Type 2 Diabetes

Tde.sagepub.com: Lisa L. Sumlin, RN, MSN, ACNS-BC, Alexandra A. Garcia, PhD, RN, March 27, 2012.

The purpose of this systematic review is to synthesize research that tested culturally competent food-related interventions designed for African American women with type 2 diabetes, to review the current state of the literature and suggest recommendations for future research. Many African American women with type 2 diabetes are challenged to change their culturally rooted food habits to achieve diabetes control. Diabetes educators and clinicians who work with African American women need knowledge of effective interventions to assist their clients.

Methods

Online databases and research articles’ reference lists were searched for relevant studies published from 1989 to 2010 that tested culturally competent type 2 diabetes management interventions for African American women, that included at least 1 educational session on diet or nutrition, and that addressed a physiologic outcome, such as glycosylated hemoglobin or fasting blood glucose. Read More

Physical Activity-Related Experiences, Counseling Expectations, Personal Responsibility, and Altruism among Urban African American Women with Type 2 Diabetes

Tde.sagepub.com:  March 27, 2012.

The purpose of this study was to explore physical activity-related experiences, perceptions, and counseling expectations among urban, underactive, African American women with type 2 diabetes.

Methods

Participants were recruited via flyers and endocrinologist referral. A professional, African American female moderator led 2 focus groups among 11 participants. Focus groups were conducted in a video- and audio-equipped focus group room in the evening hours. Using a content-based, stepped analytic approach, 2 raters independently analyzed data and collaborated to compare results and finalize themes. Read More