Diabetes control in the Bedouin population in Southern Israel.

Background: The Bedouins in the Negev are a population in transition fromtraditional nomadic to a western sedentary lifestyle, characterized by changes in dietary habits andreduction in physical activity, with substantial changes in morbidity patterns. To describe the currentstate of diabetes prevalence and control among the Bedouin population in the Negev and to compare itto the non-Bedouin population. Material/Methods: A cross-sectional study was performed utilizing thedatabase of Clalit Health Services. In patients with a confirmed diagnosis of diabetes, the followingvariables were extracted from the laboratory records: hemoglobinA1c (HgA1C) level, urine microalbuminlevel and low density lipoprotein (LDL) level. Chi-square test was used to compare categorical parametersbetween the groups. Results: Age-adjusted prevalence of diabetes was 5.1% in the Bedouin population ascompared to 3.7% in the non-Bedouin population (p

Keywords: Arabs - ethnology, Diabetes Mellitus - ethnology, Israel - ethnology, Adolescent, Adult, Arabs - statistics & numerical data, Child, Child, Preschool, Cross-Sectional Studies, Diabetes Mellitus - therapy, Infant, Newborn, Israel - ethnology, Prevalence