Higher prevalence of diabetes mellitus (DM) has been documented among South Asians living in the United States. However, combining the south Asian subgroups into one category masks the heterogeneity in the diagnosed DM, after controlling for known protective and risk factors. We assessed the association of Asian Indian ethnicity to diagnosed DM using a nationally representative sample of 1,986 Asian Indian adults in the US compared to 109,072 Non-Hispanic Whites (NHWs) using disaggregated data from the National Health Interview Survey (2012-2016) (NHIS). 2010 US census figures were used for age-sex standardization. Age-sex adjusted prevalence of DM was 8.3% in Asian Indians as compared to 5.8% in NHW. In adjusted multivariable logistic regression models, Asian Indians had higher odds ratios of reporting diagnosed DM compared to NHWs (AOR = 1.39, 95% CI: 1.12, 1.71). This association remained strong and significant even after controlling for other risk factors in the model (AOR = 1.47, 95% CI: 1.16, 1.85). Results suggest a favorable socio-economic profile of Asian Indians was not protective on diagnosed DM. In addition, they were more likely to have diagnosed DM due to higher prevalence of obesity despite healthier behaviors of smoking and exercise.
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