Prevalence of diabetes among Indigenous women in Guatemala: a retrospective chart review.

ABSTRACT

OBJECTIVE: The objective of this study is to investigate the prevalence of diabetes in a clinical population of primarily Indigenous women in Guatemala. RESULTS: In a retrospective chart review of a clinical program serving 13,643 primarily Indigenous women in Guatemala, crude diabetes prevalence was 8.3% (95% Confidence Interval [CI] 7.8 to 8.7) and age-adjusted diabetes prevalence was 7.9% (95% CI 7.3 to 8.5). Among those with diabetes, 37.9% (95% CI 35.1 to 40.8) of women were undiagnosed. Diabetes prevalence rose significantly with increasing age and was significantly higher among women with obesity (risk ratio 1.4 [95% CI 1.1 to 1.8]) and among women least likely to be in poverty (risk ratio 2.0 [95% CI 1.5 to 2.6]). Diabetes prevalence was significantly lower among Indigenous women (risk ratio 0.7 [95% CI 0.6 to 0.9]) and among women who spoke Mayan languages rather than Spanish (risk ratio 0.7 [95% CI 0.6 to 0.9]). There was no significant difference in diabetes prevalence between women who lived in rural settings and women who lived in urban settings.