Individual, interpersonal, and community factors associated with health outcomes in patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus treated at federally qualified health centers.

Purpose: To examine factors of influence in diabetes management and their association with self-reported health outcomes in patients with type 2 diabetes treated at Federally Qualified Health Centers (FQHCs).
Methods: This cross-sectional study examined data from the 2014 Health Center Patient Survey (HCPS). Predictor variables were categorized across three levels of the National Institute on Minority Health and Health Disparities research framework. Outcome variables retrieved from HCPS included self-reports of blood glucose levels, and diabetes-related emergency department (ED)/hospital visits during past year.
Results: A total of 936 patients with diabetes were included. Most (65%) participants received a diabetes self-management plan. During the previous year, 72% received > = 2 A1C checks, 52% reported high blood glucose levels, and 12% visited an ED/hospital. Multivariable results showed that insulin use and receiving a self-management plan were associated with high blood glucose levels and ED/hospital visits. Community factors of being unable to get medications and receiving a specialist foot exam were respectively associated with high blood glucose levels and ED/hospital visits.
Conclusion: Different factors were associated with health outcomes in patients with diabetes treated at FQHCs. Identifying these factors can help with targeted screening and follow-up and assessing potential interventions to improve health outcomes.
Supplementary Information: The online version contains supplementary material available at 10.1007/s40200-024-01388-5.
Competing Interests: Competing interestsThe authors have no competing interests to declare that are relevant to the content of this article.
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