Diabetes prevalence and treatment adherence in residents living in a colonia located on the West Texas, USA/Mexico border.

Little is known about how diabetes affects the health status of Hispanic people living in colonias located along the USA/Mexico border. The purpose of this report is to describe the demographic factors, prevalence of diabetes, and the health status of the residents living in a colonia on the border between El Paso, Texas, USA, and Juarez, Mexico, and to report the residents' adherence to the Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System (BRFSS) protocols for the management of type 2 diabetes. This study included 188 participants. The instruments used included a demographic questionnaire, the Short Acculturation Scale for Hispanics, "Cutting Down, Annoyance by Criticism, Guilty Feelings, and Eye-openers", BRFSS, and the Short Form-36 (v2). The prevalence of diabetes was 15.4% and 41.3% of the residents had a Body Mass Index score > 30. The rate of hypertension, elevated cholesterol, and depression for those reporting diabetes was significant. The SF-36 v2 physical score for the diabetic residents was 42.9 and it was 52.4 for the non-diabetic residents. The average resident of the colonia who reports diabetes has many health disadvantages when compared to those in other parts of Texas and the USA generally.

A health survey of a colonia located on the west Texas, US/Mexico border.

Little is known about how health disparities affect the health status and general health perceptions of Hispanics living in Texas colonias. The purpose of this study was to conduct a health survey of residents (n = 216) of a colonia community on the border between El Paso, Texas and Juarez, Mexico. Instruments used in this study included a researcher developed demographic questionnaire, the Short Acculturation Scale for Hispanics (SASH), Cutting down, Annoyance by criticism, Guilty feeling and Eye-openers (CAGE) for alcohol consumption, and the Short Form version 2 (SF36v2) health survey. Study findings show the average participant was approximately 42 years old, attained an average of 9.6 years of education, earned an average annual household income of $17,575 and had an average SASH score of 25.4. SASH scores range from 12 to 60, with higher scores suggesting higher levels of American acculturation. Findings from this health survey suggest the average resident of the colonia may have health disadvantages when compared to residents from other parts of El Paso and Texas. Binge drinking was self-reported by 13.4% of all participants; with 5.6% having a CAGE score greater than 2 (indicating an increased propensity towards problems with alcohol). The self-report rates of diabetes, depression and anxiety were 15.3%, 20.4% and 16.7% respectively. The SF36v2 composite functional health status scores mirrored the national norms.