Diabetes Mellitus an Epidemic in Haitian American Afro Caribbeans

Florida, USA

Purpose To measure the prevalence of diabetes mellitus among Haitian Americans Afro-Caribbeans living in the United States. Background Devastatingly, 422 million individuals are affected by diabetes mellitus (DM) (WHO, 2021). In the United States, the age-adjusted prevalence of diabetes is 16.8% in Black, non-Hispanic Americans (CDC, 2020). Haitian Americans (HAs) are among vulnerable populations that experience challenges to treatment and management of DM. In the U.S. HAs are often subsumed in the Black demographic therefore there is limited data addressing the prevalence of DM in this population. Ethical Considerations, Methodology and Analysis This descriptive quantitative cross-sectional pilot study was approved by the Holy Cross Hospital, Fort Lauderdale, Institutional Review Board. The researchers received permission from administrators to host health fairs and community events and recruited a convenience sample of 151 Haitian American (health fairs, church gatherings, and other community events in New York, New Jersey, and South Florida). Results Age adjusted prevalence of DM among the HAs living in the US was 39.9% (95% CI 29.8% - 50.1%).This is more than twice the prevalence of in the Black, non-Hispanic population (16.8%) and the general US population (12%). Conclusion The findings of this pilot study showed a prevalence rate of DM that may be as high as Native Americans of the Pima tribe, the highest rate of any group in the world. HAs are an economically challenged group of Black individuals who face many obstacles to care including a language barrier and stigma as immigrants. In the US, Haitian Americans are a rapidly growing group that is nearly 50 times larger than the population of Pima Indians. Therefore, if this epidemic in the Haitian Americans is not addressed it will create a public health disaster for this marginalized community. Interprofessional Implications This study included a diverse group of researchers with unique perspectives in the disciplines of nursing, medicine, and mathematics. Likewise, in keeping with social justice it is imperative to encourage health providers, community organizations, and policy makers to provide financial support to promote aggressive diabetes screening and education to Haitians in order to increase health equity and to decrease health disparities in Haitian American Communities. References Bivins, B., Ruffin, L., Bivins, M, Lestage-Laforest, M., Eliezer, C., Keko, M., Singh, A. (2021). Diabetes Mellitus prevalence among Haitian American Afro-Caribbeans in the United States. The Journal of the National Black Nurses Association, 32(1): 56-63. Bivins, B. L., Hershorin, I & Umadhay, LA. (2020). Understanding Type 2 Diabetes Mellitus among Haitian American women: A Cultural Perspective. The Journal of the National Black Nurses Association. 31(1). Bivins, B., Owusu, B., & Bivins, L., (2020). A Concept Analysis on Adherence in Type II Diabetes. The International Forum for Nursing and Healthcare. Vol.4 pages 9-14 Bivins, B. L., et al. (2019). Haitian American Women with Type 2 Diabetes Mellitus: An integrative review. Acta Scientific Women's Health. 1(1): 03-12. Bivins, B. (2018). The Lived experience of Haitian American women with type 2 diabetes mellitus. [Doctoral dissertation, Barry University.] ProQuest Dissertation and Thesis Bivins, B. L. (2016). Integrative Review on Adherence in Haitians with Diabetes. Nursing Forum. 52(3):165-172. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. (2020). National Diabetes Statistics Report2020. Estimates of Diabetes and Its Burden in the United States. Retrieved from https://www.cdc.gov/diabetes/pdfs/data/statistics/national-diabetes-statistics-report.pdf World Health Organization (2021). Diabetes. Retrieved from https://www.who.int/news room/fact-sheets/detail/diabetes