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pproximately 5.5 million Latinas suffer from elevated fasting plasma glucose (FPG) and nearly 4 million of those women were never told by a healthcare provider that they were at risk for diabetes or prediabetes, or were borderline for diabetes.
A recent study, “Latinas With Elevated Fasting Plasma Glucose: An Analysis Using NHANES 2009-2010 Data,” led by Shiela M. Strauss, associate professor at the College of Nursing, points to the urgent need for alternate sites of opportunity for diabetes screenings. There is also a need for effective and culturally sensitive follow-up care and case management. The study appeared in Hispanic Health Care International.
“Almost 1 million of these 4 million Latinas had not seen a doctor or other healthcare provider in the past 12 months,” explains Strauss. “This is of particular concern as it eliminates a potential opportunity for them to learn about their diabetes risk and their elevated FPG before it causes serious avoidable harm.”