Contribution of socioeconomic factors and health care access to the awareness and treatment of diabetes and hypertension among older Mexican adults

Abstract

Objective: To estimate changes in self-report and treatment of diabetes and hypertension between 2001 and 2012 among Mexican aged 50-80, assessing the contribution of education and health insurance coverage. Materials and methods: The Mexican Health and Aging Study was used to estimate associations of education and insurance on prevalence and treatment of diabetes and hypertension in 2001 and 2012. Multivariate decomposition was used to assess the contribution of changes in the composition of covariates vs. their "effects" on changes in prevalence and treatment over time. Results: Increases in the prevalence/diagnosis and treatment during the period are largely attributable to the expansion of health insurance. Its effects on diagnosis/prevalence and treatment have also increased over time. Conclusions: The expansion of Seguro Popular likely improved screening and treatment. More research is needed to assess if these have translated into better control and a lower burden of disease.