National Alliance for Hispanic Health Survey Provides Insights into Hispanic Attitudes Towards Diabetes

WASHINGTON, DC, RIDGEFIELD, CT and INDIANAPOLIS, November 19, 2014 – As part of American Diabetes Month, the National Alliance for Hispanic Health (the Alliance) announced results of a survey of Hispanic adults and their attitudes toward diabetes. The results showed that while there is general awareness of the disease, Hispanics with diabetes are more likely to be worried that, besides themselves, someone in their family would develop diabetes, compared to non-Hispanic whites and blacks with diabetes. Conducted with support from Boehringer Ingelheim Pharmaceuticals, Inc. (BIPI) and Eli Lilly and Company (NYSE: LLY), the survey sought to gain an understanding of Hispanics’ personal knowledge and experience with diabetes to help identify opportunities to provide information and support for the estimated 3.2 million U.S. Hispanics with diabetes and their families.      

“Diabetes has touched the lives of millions of Hispanic families,” said Jane L. Delgado, Ph.D., M.S., president and chief executive officer of the National Alliance for Hispanic Health. “The insights gleaned from our survey confirm that diabetes is a concern of many Hispanics and will help improve educational support and diabetes management efforts. These efforts are critical, especially considering Hispanics are nearly twice as likely as non-Hispanic whites to be diagnosed with diabetes.”

A Common Condition and Source of Worry
A majority of Hispanics surveyed say they know someone who has diabetes and are worried that a family member will develop diabetes.

• More than two-thirds of Hispanics with diabetes (64 percent) report they know someone with diabetes, compared to non-Hispanic whites (77 percent) and non-Hispanic blacks (69 percent).   
• Hispanics with diabetes were more likely to worry that, besides themselves, someone in their family would develop diabetes, (68 percent compared to 52 and 53 percent for non-Hispanic whites and non-Hispanic blacks with diabetes, respectively).
• Hispanic respondents were less likely to believe a person can live a healthy life with diabetes (86 percent of those with diabetes compared to 96 percent of non-Hispanic whites and 89 percent of non-Hispanic blacks with diabetes).

Patient-Provider Connection Must Be Strengthened
Of the Hispanic respondents with diabetes, 77 percent said health care providers are their most trusted source of information for health concerns. However, the survey found that:

• Of the 98 percent of Hispanics with diabetes who said a person can take actions to control diabetes, only 12 percent cited seeing a health care provider regularly as an action to manage the disease; similar to non-Hispanic whites (10 percent) and non-Hispanic blacks (11 percent).
• One in four (25 percent) Hispanics with diabetes responded “no” or “don’t know” when asked if their doctor or other health care provider had told them what type of diabetes they have; almost twice as high as for non-Hispanic whites (17 percent) and lower than for non-Hispanic blacks (34 percent).

Improved Education Efforts Needed
The survey revealed there is broad awareness of symptoms and causes of diabetes among Hispanic respondents. But given the higher rate at which the Hispanic community is affected by the disease, improved education efforts are needed to continue to improve awareness. Of those surveyed: 

• 73 percent of Hispanics with diabetes could name a cause of diabetes; however, this rate was lower than for non-Hispanic whites (89 percent) and non-Hispanic blacks (83 percent). 
• More than a third of Hispanics without diabetes (38 percent) could not name a symptom of diabetes; similar to non-Hispanic whites and non-Hispanic blacks (33 percent).

Prevention is Possible
Of those surveyed, 87 percent of Hispanics with diabetes believe a person can take actions to prevent diabetes compared to 80 percent of non-Hispanic whites and 69 percent of non-Hispanic blacks. However, when asked about ways to prevent diabetes, maintaining a healthy weight was cited by only 16 percent of Hispanics with diabetes compared to 25 percent of non-Hispanic whites and 8 percent of non-Hispanic blacks with diabetes.

Management Still Unclear for Most Hispanics With Diabetes
Although almost all Hispanic respondents with diabetes reported a person with diabetes can take actions to control their disease (98 percent), some key disease management practices were identified by less than half of those surveyed:

• Being physically active (30 percent)
• Taking prescribed medication (37 percent)
• Maintaining a healthy weight (6 percent)
• Monitoring blood sugar (3 percent)

“The survey showed us that there are specific areas within diabetes education and awareness that need to be addressed in order to raise awareness among Hispanics,” said Dr. Luis Salmun, executive director of health sciences executives, Boehringer Ingelheim Pharmaceuticals, Inc. “The valuable information we gained will help us to develop educational tools and resources that are relevant and meaningful to the Hispanic community.”

For more information about the study, please visit www.hispanichealth.org. 

Survey Design
The study was conducted by the National Alliance for Hispanic Health’s Healthy Americas Institute via phone by Social Science Research Solutions, an independent research company. Interviews were conducted from September 18- October 20, 2013 among a nationally representative sample of 770 respondents age 18 and older. The margin of error for total respondents is +/- 3.53% at the 95% confidence level. The margin of error for the sample of White Non-Hispanics (n=276) is+/-5.90%. The margin of error for the sample of Black Non-Hispanics (n=248) is +/-6.22%. The margin of error for the sample of Hispanics (n=246) is +/-6.25%. 

About Diabetes
More than 29 million Americans and an estimated 382 million people worldwide have type 1 or type 2 diabetes, and nearly 28 percent of Americans with diabetes—totaling 8 million people—are undiagnosed. In the U.S., approximately 12 percent of those aged 20 and older have diabetes. T2D is the most common type, accounting for an estimated 90 to 95 percent of all adult diabetes cases in the U.S. Diabetes is a chronic condition that occurs when the body either does not properly produce, or use, the hormone insulin.

About The National Alliance for Hispanic Health
The National Alliance for Hispanic Health is the nation's foremost science-based source of information and trusted non-partisan advocate for the best health outcomes for all. The Alliance represents thousands of Hispanic health providers across the nation providing services to more than 15 million each year. For more information, visit http://www.hispanichealth.org, call the Alliance’s Su Familia Helpline at 1-866-783-2645, or find us on Facebook at healthyamericas or on Twitter at @health4americas.

Boehringer Ingelheim and Eli Lilly and Company
In January 2011, Boehringer Ingelheim and Eli Lilly and Company announced an alliance in diabetes that centers on compounds representing several of the largest diabetes treatment classes. The alliance leverages the strengths of two of the world’s leading pharmaceutical companies. By joining forces, the companies demonstrate commitment in the care of people with diabetes and stand together to focus on patient needs. Find out more about the alliance at www.boehringer-ingelheim.com or www.lilly.com.

About Boehringer Ingelheim Pharmaceuticals, Inc.
Boehringer Ingelheim Pharmaceuticals, Inc., based in Ridgefield, CT, is the largest U.S. subsidiary of Boehringer Ingelheim Corporation (Ridgefield, CT) and a member of the Boehringer Ingelheim group of companies.

The Boehringer Ingelheim group is one of the world’s 20 leading pharmaceutical companies. Headquartered in Ingelheim, Germany, it operates globally with 142 affiliates and more than 47,400 employees. Since it was founded in 1885, the family-owned company has been committed to researching, developing, manufacturing and marketing novel medications of high therapeutic value for human and veterinary medicine.

Social responsibility is a central element of Boehringer Ingelheim's culture. Involvement in social projects, caring for employees and their families, and providing equal opportunities for all employees form the foundation of the global operations. Mutual cooperation and respect, as well as environmental protection and sustainability are intrinsic factors in all of Boehringer Ingelheim’s endeavors.

In 2013, Boehringer Ingelheim achieved net sales of about $18.7 billion (14.1 billion euro). R&D expenditure in the Prescription Medicines business corresponds to 19.5% of its net sales.

For more information please visit http://www.us.boehringer-ingelheim.com.

About Lilly Diabetes
Lilly has been a global leader in diabetes care since 1923, when we introduced the world's first commercial insulin. Today we are building upon this heritage by working to meet the diverse needs of people with diabetes and those who care for them. Through research and collaboration, a broad and growing product portfolio and a continued determination to provide real solutions—from medicines to support programs and more—we strive to make life better for all those affected by diabetes around the world. For more information, visit www.lillydiabetes.com.

About Eli Lilly and Company
Lilly is a global healthcare leader that unites caring with discovery to make life better for people around the world. We were founded more than a century ago by a man committed to creating high-quality medicines that meet real needs, and today we remain true to that mission in all our work. Across the globe, Lilly employees work to discover and bring life-changing medicines to those who need them, improve the understanding and management of disease, and give back to communities through philanthropy and volunteerism. To learn more about Lilly, please visit us at www.lilly.com, @LillyHealth on Twitter and http://newsroom.lilly.com/social-channels.

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Additional Media Contacts

Abigail Hernandez
Communications Assistant
National Alliance for Hispanic Health
Phone: (202) 797-4357
e-mail

Molly McCully
Communications Manager
Lilly Diabetes
Phone: (317) 478-5423
e-mail