“Family History of Type 2 Diabetes, CVD Risk Factors, and Preventive Health Behaviors among African Americans: The Jackson Heart Study”

Family history of Type 2 Diabetes [T2D] is a well-known risk factor for diabetes, but less is known about its association with CVD risk factors and preventive health behaviors. We conducted a cross-sectional analysis at baseline of 4039 African-American adults with and without T2D in the Jackson Heart Study.  Participants (n=1262) were excluded from the analytic sample if there were missing values on family history, diabetes status, and health behaviors.  Family history, defined as having a parent with diabetes, and outcomes were collected via questionnaire and clinical assessments.  The sample was 64% female, mean age 54.3 years, and 34% had public medical insurance.  Overall, 44% had a family history of T2D, 53.8% were obese, 21.8% had T2D and 33.3% had pre-diabetes.  After adjustment for age, gender and income, non-diabetic participants with a positive family history were more likely to have poor self-ratings of health OR= 1.69 (1.02, 2.80), be overweight OR= 1.39 (1.09, 1.76) or obese OR=1.47 (1.17, 1.85), and were more likely to have glucose values in the pre-diabetic range, OR=1.39 (1.18, 1.64).  Among those diagnosed with T2D, we observed no difference in CVD risk factors by family history status.  When examining the association between family history and preventive health behaviors: smoking, diet (fruit, vegetable, and fat intake) and physical activity, there were no significant associations among those with or without T2D.  The lack of difference in preventive health behaviors by family history status for those with and without T2D provides an opportunity for targeted efforts to prevent T2D and its complications.