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Adherence to medication regimens for type 2 diabetes is strongly associated with metabolic control in an indigent population; African-Americans have lower adherence and worse metabolic control. Greater efforts are clearly needed to facilitate diabetes self-management behaviors of low-income populations and foster culturally sensitive and appropriate care for minority groups.

Background Uterine leiomyomata, benign tumors of uterine smooth muscle that are characterized by overproduction of extracellular matrix (fibroids), are the leading indication for hysterectomy in the United States. The active metabolite of Vitamin D has been shown to inhibit cell proliferation and extracellular matrix production in fibroid tissue culture and to reduce fibroid volume in the Eker rat. No previous epidemiologic study has examined whether vitamin D is related to fibroid status in women. Methods The National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences Uterine Fibroid Study enrolled randomly selected 35–49 year-old members of an urban health plan during 1996–1999. Fibroid status was determined by ultrasound screening of premenopausal women (620 blacks, 416 whites). Vitamin D status was assessed in stored plasma by radioimmunoassay of 25-hydroxyvitamin D (25(OH)D) and questionnaire data on sun exposure. Associations were evaluated with logistic regression, controlling for potential confounders. Results Only 10% of blacks and 50% of whites had sufficient 25(OH)D levels [>20 ng/ml]. Women with sufficient vitamin D had an estimated 32% reduced odds of fibroids compared with those with vitamin D insufficiency (adjusted odds ration, aOR=0.68, 95% confidence interval, CI=0.48, 0.96). The association was similar for blacks and whites. Self-reported sun exposure ≥1 hr/day (weather permitting) was also associated with reduced odds of fibroids (aOR=0.6, 95% CI=0.4, 0.9) with no evidence of heterogeneity by ethnicity. Conclusions The consistency of findings for questionnaire and biomarker data, the similar patterns seen in blacks and whites, and the biological plausibility provide evidence that sufficient vitamin D is associated with a reduced risk of fibroids.

BACKGROUND: Successful control of diabetes mellitus requires lifelong adherence to multiple self-management activities in close collaboration with health professionals. We examined the association of such control with appointment keeping behavior in a rural health system. METHODS: Among 4,253 predominantly lower socioeconomic status patients with diabetes, the association of metabolic control (most recent A1c <7% or >9% in two models of respectively 'good' and 'poor' control) with 'missed appointment rate' over a 3-year period was examined using multiple logistic regression. MAIN RESULTS:For each 10% increment in missed appointment rate, the odds of good control decreased 1.12× (p<0.001) and the odds of poor control increased 1.24× (p<0.001). The missed appointment rate was substantially higher among African-American patients (15.9% vs. 9.3% for white patients, p<0.001). Controlling for the missed appointment rate and insurance status in multivariate analysis attenuated the racial association with good control, and the racial association with poor control was no longer significant. Older, white patients with health insurance tended to have significantly better metabolic control. There was no independent association of metabolic control with patient income, gender, or number of primary care visits.CONCLUSION: Adherence to appointments, independent of visit frequency, was a strong predictor of diabetes metabolic control. We hypothesize that missed appointment behavior may serve as an indicator for other diabetes adherence behaviors and associated barriers that serve to undermine successful diabetes self-management.KEY WORDS: appointment adherence; a1c; diabetes mellitus.