Using large research data sets to examine diabetes signs/symptoms among Latino elders
Diabetes disproportionately affects Latinos with excess healthcare costs, premature suffering, and death. Methods are needed that identify signs/symptoms of Latinos with diabetes to improve healthcare and population health. The Omaha System is a standardized assessment structure and comprehensive, holistic assessment tool used with Latinos for over 15 years. It can be mapped to other structured data such as large research data sets in order to normalize and extend the analysis of hidden patterns in data.
Purpose
The purpose of this study was to examine diabetes signs/symptoms among Latino Americans with diabetes, compared to those with no diabetes, using a structured data approach.
Methods
This study used cross-sectional secondary data from the Sacramento Area Latino Study on Aging (SALSA) project with a cohort study of Latino American older adults aged 60 or greater residing in rural and urban areas of Sacramento County, California. A total of 932 participants were included in this study. Signs/symptoms of diabetes were compared across the sample, and mapped to the Omaha System to enable comparison with previous diabetes signs/symptoms research findings.
Results
The mean age of the participants was 75years, 60% were female, the average education level was 8th grade, and 75% had household incomes under $2,000 per month. About 42% were born in Mexico and 7% in another Latin American country. Approximately 39% (n=367) reported having type 2 diabetes. For elderly Latino Americans with diabetes, 83% of 24 signs/symptoms were significantly greater. A comparison of signs/symptoms between elderly Latino Americans with diabetes and those without diabetes was significantly different in the following problems: Sleepiness or drowsiness during the day (43% vs. 28%, p<.001), Muscle cramps in legs/feet (43% vs. 34%, p=.009), Leg hurt when walk (42% vs. 28%, p<.001), Urinating more frequently (32% vs. 18%, p<.001), Feet or legs feel numb or lost sensation (30% vs. 14%, p<.001), Tired in morning when wake up (27% vs. 15%, p<.001), Tingling sensations in legs/arms (23% vs. 11%, p<.001), Feel weak all over (23% vs. 13%, p<.001), Burning pain in legs/feet (22% vs. 11%, p<.001), Vision change from clear to blurry (19% vs. 8%, p<.001), Tingling/prickling in legs/feet (19% vs. 8%, p<.001), Tingling/prickling in hands/fingers (18% vs. 9%, p<.001), Blurred vision (16% vs. 6%, p<.001), Feet too sensitive to touch (16% vs. 7%, p<.001), Often very thirsty (16% vs. 6%, p<.001), Shortness of breath during day (15% vs. 8% p=.001), Irritable just before meal (13% vs. 4%, p<.001), Hurt when blankets/sheets touch skin (9% vs. 3%, p<.001), and Skin on feet so dry it cracks open (8% vs.4%, p=.006). Similar problems have been identified in other Omaha System datasets among diabetic patients, with minor variation in rank order.
Conclusions
The study demonstrates the feasibility of using large datasets to examine, quantify, and analyze diabetes signs/symptoms among Latinos. Findings increase understanding the burden of signs/symptoms among Latinos with diabetes and provide a baseline for standardized surveillance of population health. There is potential to build a comprehensive, holistic data management system to improve diabetes care and population health outcomes.