Gender and Racial-Ethnic Differences in Cardiovascular Disease Risk Factor Treatment and Control Among Persons with Diabetes in the Multi-Ethnic Study of Atherosclerosis (MESA)
- Ginger J Winston, M.D.1,
- R Graham Barr, M.D., DrPH1,3,
- Olveen Carrasquillo, M.D., M.P.H.1,
- Alain G Bertoni, M.D., M.P.H.2 and
- Steven Shea, M.D., M.S. (ss35{at}columbia.edu)1,3
- 1. Division of General Medicine, Department of Medicine, Columbia University College; of Physicians & Surgeons, New York, NY
- 2. Division of Public Health Sciences and Maya Angelou Center for Health Equity, Wake; Forest University School of Medicine, Winston-Salem, NC
- 3. Department of Epidemiology, Mailman School of Public Health, Columbia University, New York, NY
Abstract
Objective: To examine gender and racial/ethnic differences in cardiovascular risk factor treatment and control among persons with diabetes in the Multi-Ethnic Study of Atherosclerosis (MESA).
Research Design and Methods: Observational study examining mean levels of cardiovascular risk factors and proportion achieving treatment goals.
Results: The sample included 926 persons with diabetes. Compared to men, women were 9% less likely to achieve LDL cholesterol < 130 mg/dl [adjusted prevalence ratio (PR) 0.91 (0.83-0.99)] and systolic blood pressure (SBP) < 130 mmHg [adjusted PR 0.91 (0.85-0.98)]. These differences diminished over time. A lower percentage of women used aspirin (23% vs. 33%; p<0.001). African American and Hispanic women had higher mean levels of SBP and lower prevalence of aspirin use compared to non-Hispanic white women.
Conclusions: Women with diabetes had unfavorable cardiovascular risk factor profiles compared to men. African American and Hispanic women had less favorable profiles than non-Hispanic white women.
Footnotes
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- Received February 10, 2009.
- Accepted April 22, 2009.
- Copyright © American Diabetes Association
