Prescribing patterns and adherence to medication among South-Asian, Chinese and white people with Type 2 diabetes mellitus: a population-based cohort study

• Published in: Diabetic medicine 2014-12, Vol.31 (12), p.1586-1593
• Main Authors: Chong, E., Wang, H., King-Shier, K. M., Quan, H., Rabi, D. M., Khan, N. A.
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Adult; Aged; Aged, 80 and over; Angiotensin Receptor Antagonists - therapeutic use; Angiotensin-Converting Enzyme Inhibitors - therapeutic use; Asia, Western - ethnology; Asian Continental Ancestry Group - statistics & numerical data; Biological and medical sciences; British Columbia; China - ethnology; Diabetes; Diabetes Mellitus, Type 2 - drug therapy; Diabetes. Impaired glucose tolerance; Drug therapy; Endocrine pancreas. Apud cells (diseases); Endocrinopathies; Enzymes; Etiopathogenesis. Screening. Investigations. Target tissue resistance; European Continental Ancestry Group - statistics & numerical data; Feeding. Feeding behavior; Female; Fundamental and applied biological sciences. Psychology; Health risk assessment; Humans; Hydroxymethylglutaryl-CoA Reductase Inhibitors - therapeutic use; Hypoglycemic Agents - therapeutic use; Male; Medical sciences; Medication Adherence - ethnology; Middle Aged; Practice Patterns, Physicians' - statistics & numerical data; Social Class; Vertebrates: anatomy and physiology, studies on body, several organs or systems; Vertebrates: endocrinology
• ISSN: 0742-3071; 1464-5491
• DOI: 10.1111/dme.12559

Aim To determine the prescribing of and adherence to oral hypoglycaemic agents, insulin, angiotensin‐converting enzyme inhibitors, angiotensin receptor blockers and statin therapy among South‐Asian, Chinese and white people with newly diagnosed diabetes. Methods The present study was a population‐based cohort study using administrative and pharmacy databases to include all South‐Asian, Chinese and white people aged ≥ 35 years with diabetes living in British Columbia, Canada (1997–2006). Adherence to each class of medication was measured using proportion of days covered over 1 year with optimum adherence defined as ≥ 80%. Results The study population included 9529 South‐Asian, 14 084 Chinese and 143 630 white people with diabetes. The proportion of people who were prescribed angiotensin‐converting enzyme inhibitors, angiotensin receptor blockers, statin or oral hypoglycaemic agents was ≤ 50% for all groups. South‐Asian and Chinese people had significantly lower adherence for all medications than white people, with the lowest adherence to angiotensin‐converting enzyme inhibitor treatment (South‐Asian people: adjusted odds ratio 0.37, 95% CI 0.34–0.39; P