Sociodemographic, socioeconomic, and clinical factors associated with diabetes screening in Asian Americans

Aim Asian Americans have high levels of undiagnosed diabetes, but little is known about what influences diabetes screening in this group. We determined which sociodemographic, socioeconomic, and clinical factors were associated with diabetes screening in the American Diabetes Association's (ADA) recommended screening groups for Asian Americans. Subjects and methods We included Asian Americans from the 2015 and 2017 Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System who fit the ADA's diabetes screening guidelines and responded to a diabetes screening question. Logistic regression models were created to examine associations between sociodemographic, socioeconomic, and clinical factors and diabetes screening in Asian Americans. Results Being a college graduate and having high blood pressure were associated with higher levels of diabetes screening for the two screening groups. A trend of decreased diabetes screening with less educational attainment was observed in both screening groups. Conclusion Diabetes screening in Asian Americans is influenced by socioeconomic and clinical factors. Additional work is needed to identify other Asian American-specific cultural factors that may have an impact on the decision to seek diabetes screening.