Determinants of Fasting Plasma Glucose and Glycosylated Hemoglobin Among Low Income Latinos with Poorly Controlled Type 2 Diabetes

The objective of this study was to identify demographic, socio-economic, acculturation, lifestyle, sleeping pattern, and biomedical determinants of fasting plasma glucose (FPG) and glycosylated hemoglobin (HbA1c), among Latinos with type 2 diabetes (T2D). Latino adults (N = 211) with T2D enrolled in the DIALBEST trial were interviewed in their homes. Fasting blood samples were also collected in the participants’ homes. Because all participants had poor glucose control, above-median values for FPG (173 mg/dl) and HbA1c (9.2%) were considered to be indicative of poorer glycemic control. Multivariate analyses showed that receiving heating assistance (OR: 2.20; 95% CI: 0.96–4.96), and having a radio (3.11, 1.16–8.35), were risk factors for higher FPG levels, and lower income (10.4, 1.54–69.30) was a risk factor for higher HbA1c levels. Lower carbohydrate intake during the previous day (0.04; 0.005–0.37), as well as regular physical activity (0.30; 0.13–0.69), breakfast (2.78; 1.10–6.99) and dinner skipping (3.9; 1.03–14.9) during previous week were significantly associated with FPG concentrations. Being middle aged (2.24, 1.12–4.47), 30–60 min of sleep during the day time (0.07, 0.01–0.74) and having medical insurance (0.31, 0.10–0.96) were predictors of HbA1c. Results suggest that contemporaneous lifestyle behaviors were associated with FPG and contextual biomedical factors such as health care access with HbA1c. Lower socio-economic status indicators were associated with poorer FPG and HbA1c glycemic control.