Two strategies for preventing diabetes in minority patients

(HealthDay)—Recognizing the barriers to care for minority patients with type 2 diabetes could reduce the incidence of type 2 diabetes nationwide, according to an article published by the American Medical Association's AMA Wire.

Noting that the majority of patients diagnosed with type 2 diabetes are African-American, Hispanic, Native American, or Asian, the article addresses barriers to caring for minority patients with a chronic disease, such as type 2 diabetes.

According to the article, physicians can help prevent and manage type 2 diabetes by emphasizing the factors that are in a patient's control, such as diet, exercise, and getting enough rest. This is especially important for patients with prediabetes. Physicians also should spend time talking to patients about how to make time for these things and help each patient come up with an individualized plan. Changing the messaging around the disease can help patients understand the gravity of the condition. Health care providers can use personal experiences to describe the progression of the disease.

"What if we dreamed big and we could, together with our partners, have the greatest public health and health care success of our lifetime by being able to state together that there are no new cases of preventable type 2 diabetes?" Christopher Holliday, Ph.D., director of population health and clinical-community linkages at the AMA, asked during a recent AMA discussion panel.