The effect of health education on the rate of ophthalmic examinations among African Americans with diabetes mellitus

Objectives. This study evaluated a multicomponent educational intervention to increase ophthalmic examination rates among African Americans with diabetes. Methods. A randomized trial was conducted with 280 African Americans with diabetes, enrolled from outpatient departments of 5 medical centers in the New York City metropolitan area, who had not had a dilated retinal examination within 14 months of randomization (65.7% female, mean age = 54.7 years [SD = 12.8 years]). Results. After site differences were controlled, the odds ratio for receiving a retinal examination associated with the intervention was 4.3 (95% confidence interval = 2.4, 7.8). The examination rate pooled across sites was 54.7% in the intervention group and 27.3% in the control group. Conclusions. The intervention was associated with a rate of ophthalmic examination double the rate achieved with routine medical care.