WASHINGTON — Two-thirds of Americans with type 2 diabetes are not meeting the American Association of Clinical Endocrinologists' target hemoglobin A1c level of 6.5% or less, according to a report issued by the association at its annual meeting.
The AACE's “State of Diabetes in America” report is based in part on data from more than 157,000 individuals with type 2 diabetes from 39 states and the District of Columbia who were tracked by Surveillance Data Inc. (SDI) during 2003–2004. The study was funded by GlaxoSmithKline Inc.
Overall, 67% of patients had HbA1c levels above 6.5%. The 10 worst states were Mississippi (73%); Illinois (73%); Utah (72%); Ohio (72%); Alabama, Louisiana, New York, and Pennsylvania (all approximately 71%); Arkansas and West Virginia (both approximately 70%); and Georgia (69%). Even in the best state, Montana, 55% did not meet the AACE target.
In 11 additional states in which SDI data were not available, the National Committee for Quality Assurance's Health Employer Data and Information Set (HEDIS) were used instead, showing the proportion of patients with HbA1c levels above 9%. Of those, California was the worst, with 35% of patients having HbA1c values that high. The next four were Hawaii (33%), and North Dakota, Rhode Island, and Massachusetts (all approximately 30%). New Hampshire scored the “best,” at 20%.
The AACE has launched a public awareness campaign encouraging patients to take an “oath” to better control their blood sugar levels. To take the oath and order items such as a diabetes-friendly cookbook, patients can go to www.stateofdiabetes.com