PT  - JOURNAL ARTICLE
AU  - Isabel, Jeanne M.
TI  - Examining the Incidence of Prediabetes in Belize
AID  - 10.29074/ascls.2018000174
DP  - 2018 Jan 01
TA  - American Society for Clinical Laboratory Science
PG  - 6--11
VI  - 31
IP  - 1
4099  - http://hwmaint.clsjournal.ascls.org/content/31/1/6.short
4100  - http://hwmaint.clsjournal.ascls.org/content/31/1/6.full
SO  - Clin Lab Sci2018 Jan 01; 31
AB  - This research included diabetes screening assessment for a population in Belize that may not have ready access to testing. Data gathered on gender, age, and ethnicity were correlated with measurement of waist circumference and hemoglobin A1c (HbA1c). The investigator used a point-of-care screening test for HbA1c to determine whether individuals fell within the normal range, the prediabetes range, or the diabetic range. A random selection of participants from the Belmopan region were tested. Analysis of the data indicated that 33.1% of the population tested in the prediabetes range for HbA1c. This percentage should be a concern to health care personnel in Belize who may have limited resources for patients’ diabetes treatment. An equally concerning finding is the number of participants in the diabetes range, 8.5% of whom had not been previously diagnosed. Diabetes education and screening is essential to the health and well-being of the people of Belize.