Press Releases

Diabetes prevalence among U.S. Latinos higher than general U.S. population, with patients less likely to be proactive in treatment of disease, according to study by GfK Market Measures

Opportunity for pharma and device manufacturers to assist key market in managing disease through culturally-sensitive, tailored communications

EAST HANOVER, NJ – January 23, 2006– Representing nearly 16 percent of the U.S. diabetes patient market, or 2.2 million patients, Latinos are less likely to self-test and treat their disease than diabetes patients in the general U.S. population. Findings from GfK Market Measures’ Roper U.S. Latino Diabetes Patient Market Study reveal that the sizable Latino market offers pharmaceutical and medical device manufacturers an opportunity to capture additional market share through tailored, culturally-sensitive communications.

Results from the study show that compared to the general U.S. diabetes population, Latino patients tend to be younger, less educated and affluent, and less likely to be in control of their condition and self-test blood glucose levels. Beyond these dissimilarities with their general U.S. population counterparts, there are further acculturation differences within the Latino community itself, with half of the two million-plus patients proficient in only English, or both Spanish and English (acculturated), and half proficient in Spanish only (unacculturated).

GfK Market Measures’ Roper U.S. Latino Diabetes Patient Market Study shows that unacculturated Latino diabetes patients are less likely than their English-speaking Latino counterparts to be proactive in their diabetes care and to seek out information and interact with their doctors. They are also less healthy overall. These findings indicate that a need exists for patient education programs directed toward unacculturated Latinos about the benefit of prescription medications, blood glucose testing and exercise in maintaining control of their disease.

The research also revealed the best media through which to communicate with the Latino diabetes market. Fifty-two percent of patients use television as a source of diabetes information, with more than 80 percent reporting having seen advertising for diabetes medications and blood glucose monitors on TV. Nearly half of respondents used patient information pamphlets and diabetes magazines, one in three cited word-of-mouth and almost 20 percent of patients obtained diabetes information from the radio.
“Pharmaceutical and medical device manufacturers looking to communicate with Latino patients must also keep in mind that acculturated and unacculturated patient groups have different approaches to diabetes care, and consequently, different information needs,” said David Jacobson, Senior Vice President of GfK Market Measures’ Roper Global Diabetes Program. “To be successful, tailoring communications to these distinct audiences must go beyond simply providing Spanish translations of existing English-language materials.”

Latino Diabetes Patients Share Their Insights

Providing a global perspective on diabetes, GfK Market Measures’ Roper Global Diabetes Program is viewed as the industry gold standard in diabetes market research. The Roper Diabetes Patient Market Studies deliver comparable results in major regions around the world, including the U.S., Europe, Latin America and Asia Pacific. Based on feedback from diagnosed patients, the Studies give key information on every facet of diabetes from patient attitudes and demographics to product awareness and usage to source of care and the doctor/patient relationship.

This particular study focused on the Latino diabetes population living in the U.S. The two-phase research is based on a series of focus group discussions conducted between April and June 2005 and in-depth telephone interviews with 516 respondents, conducted in September 2005.

About GfK Market Measures (formerly NOP World Health)

GfK Market Measures provides healthcare clients with a unique mix of custom and syndicated solutions to support the full marketing continuum, including market assessment, brand tracking, sales force effectiveness, healthcare consumer and product launch applications. GfK Market Measures is a proud member of the GfK U.S. Healthcare Companies, the largest provider of custom healthcare marketing research services in the United States. For further information please visit www.gfkmarketmeasures.com.

For more details on this study or to schedule an interview with a GfK Market Measures executive, please contact Jessica Makovsky, Group Vice President of Communications, GfK U.S. Healthcare Companies, at 215.283.3200 x372 or jmakovsky@gfkushc.com.