Diabetes in African American Youth: Prevalence, incidence, and clinical characteristics: the SEARCH for Diabetes in Youth Study

OBJECTIVE—To report the prevalence and incidence of type 1 and type 2 diabetes among African American youth and to describe demographic, clinical, and behavioral characteristics. RESEARCH DESIGN AND METHODS—Data from the SEARCH for Diabetes in Youth Study, a population-based, multicenter observational study of youth with clinically diagnosed diabetes aged 0–19 years, were used to estimate the prevalence for calendar year 2001 (692 cases) and incidence based on 748 African American case subjects diagnosed in 2002–2005. Characteristics of these youth were obtained during a research visit for 436 African American youth with type 1 diabetes and 212 African American youth with type 2 diabetes. RESULTS—Among African American youth aged 0–9 years, prevalence (per 1,000) of type 1 diabetes was 0.57 (95% CI 0.47–0.69) and for those aged 10–19 years 2.04 (1.85–2.26). Among African American youth aged 0–9 years, annual type 1 diabetes incidence (per 100,000) was 15.7 (13.7–17.9) and for those aged 10–19 years 15.7 (13.8–17.8). A1C was ≥9.5% among 50% of youth with type 1 diabetes aged ≥15 years. Across age-groups and sex, 44.7% of African American youth with type 1 diabetes were overweight or obese. Among African American youth aged 10–19 years, prevalence (per 1,000) of type 2 diabetes was 1.06 (0.93–1.22) and annual incidence (per 100,000) was 19.0 (16.9–21.3). About 60% of African American youth with type 2 diabetes had an annual household income of <$25,000. Among those aged ≥15 years, 27.5% had an A1C ≥9.5%, 22.5% had high blood pressure, and, across subgroups of age and sex, >90% were overweight or obese. CONCLUSIONS—Type 1 diabetes presents a serious burden among African American youth aged <10 years, and African American adolescents are impacted substantially by both type 1 and type 2 diabetes.