The Pan Asian Cohort Study
Study Design & Methods

We will construct a virtual cohort of Asian and White patients age 35 and older (see Data Source and Privacy) to examine new diagnosis of diabetes, diabetic complications, quality of care indicators, and related laboratory studies. Risk factors such as body mass index (BMI), hypertension, medication profile, smoking status will be identified through laboratory and clinical information.

Following this cohort of patients, we will:

• Determine differences across racial/ethnic subgroups in the screening for and prevalence of pre-diabetes, diabetes, and diabetic complications
  
• Determine whether the association between BMI and risk factors, pre-diabetes, diabetes, and diabetic complications vary across Asian racial/ethnic subgroups
  • Test whether the BMI cutpoint of 25 kg/m2 is similarly predictive of diabetic endpoints for Asian American ethnic groups as it is for Non-Hispanic Whites.
    
  • Test whether the WHO's proposed alternative cutpoint for Asian populations (23 kg/m2) is associated with similar rates of comorbidities for Asian Americans as 25 kg/m2 is for Non-Hispanic Whites
  
  
• Follow this cohort over time to determine incidence rates of pre-diabetes, diabetes, and diabetic complications.
  • Test if there are differences in incidence rates of pre-diabetes, diabetes, and diabetic complications across Asian subgroups, and between Asian subgroups and NHWs.
  
  
• Explore ethnic differences in the predictors of these outcomes in each Asian subgroup
  
  • Test whether there are differences in predictors (demographic and clinical) across Asian subgroups, and between Asian subgroups and NHWs.