Racial and ethnic differences in premature heart disease deaths in New Mexico: what is the role of diabetes?

Multiple-cause mortality files from 1999-2001 were obtained to describe premature heart disease (PHD) deaths and the role of diabetes as a contributing cause in heart disease (HD) mortality in American Indians, Hispanics, and non-Hispanic Whites in New Mexico. The proportion and rate of PHD and diabetes-related HD death were calculated and reported by race/ethnicity and gender. Results indicate that from 1999 to 2001, 24% of all deaths in New Mexico reported HD as the leading cause of death.

Age-related eye diseases: an emerging challenge for public health professionals.

In April 2004, The Eye Disease Prevalence Research Group published a series of articles that included age-specific estimates for the prevalence of low vision and blindness in whites, African Americans, and Hispanics living in the United States. Also included were age-, sex-, and ethnic-specific incidences of the following age-related eye diseases: diabetic retinopathy, macular degeneration, cataracts, and glaucoma. We reviewed the group's series of articles and highlighted key findings on the overall prevalence of and risk factors for age-related eye diseases, as well as opportunities to preserve and restore vision.

The informed consent process in a cross-cultural setting: is the process achieving the intended result?

This report is based on the experiences of Navajo interpreters working in a diabetes clinical trial and describes the problems encountered in translating the standard research consent across cultural and linguistic barriers. The interpreters and a Navajo language consultant developed a translation of the standard consent form, maintaining the sequence of information and exactly translating English words and phrases. After four months of using the translated consent, the interpreters met with the language expert and a diabetes expert to review their experiences in presenting the translation in the initial phases of recruitment.

Regional variation in cardiovascular disease risk factors among American Indians and Alaska Natives with diabetes.

Objective: To compare by region risk factors for cardiovascular disease among American Indian populations with diabetes.

Research Design And Methods: Trained providers from 185 federal, urban, and tribally operated facilities reviewed the records from systematic random samples of the patients included in the local diabetes registries in the 1998 Indian Health Service (IHS) Diabetes Care and Outcomes Audit. Selected measures of cardiovascular risk were aggregated by region and adjusted to calculate regional rates for patients <45 years of age (n = 2,595) and those aged > or =45 years (n = 8,294).