In addition to rescue/recovery workers, the Registry includes Lower Manhattan residents, area workers, school staff and students, and commuters and passersby on 9/11. The Registry’s recruitment methods have been described previously (Brackbill et al., 2009 and Farfel et al., 2008). At the time of enrollment, registrants completed a Wave 1 (W1) baseline computer-assisted SB203580 datasheet telephone (95%) or in-person (5%) interview about their 9/11-related exposures and health following the disaster (Farfel et al., 2008). Two subsequent surveys have been conducted to obtain updated information on enrollees’
health status, healthcare utilization, and well-being. RG7204 chemical structure Both employed mail, web and telephone survey modes. The Wave 2 (W2) survey was conducted from November 2006 through December 2007 with a response rate of 68% (Brackbill et al., 2009). Wave 3 (W3) was conducted from July 2011 through March 2012, with a response rate of 63%. The Registry protocol was approved by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and New York City Department of Health and Mental Hygiene institutional
review boards. Enrollees provided verbal informed consent to participate in the Registry. Diabetes was defined as self-reported diabetes diagnosed after Registry enrollment, reported at either W2 or W3, by answering “yes” to the question, “Have you ever been told by a doctor or other health professional that you had diabetes or sugar diabetes?” Additionally, the year of diagnosis had to have been greater than or equal to the year of W1 completion. For those
who reported diabetes at both W2 and W3, the year reported at W2 was used. The surveys did not specify type 1 or type 2 diabetes; however, as the study sample only included adults, and type 2 accounts for 90% to 95% of adulthood diabetes diagnoses (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, 2011b), we assumed the vast majority of reported cases were type 2. The main predictor of interest for this study was PTSD at W1. We used a 9/11-specific PTSD Checklist (PCL), a validated, 17-item, event-specific scale, to assess symptoms of PTSD in the 30 days preceding the interview, with some questions specifically referencing STK38 the events of 9/11. The PCL has been reported to have a sensitivity of 94% and specificity of 86% (Blanchard et al., 1996 and Weathers et al., 1993). PTSD was also measured at W2 and W3. Individual items were scored from 1 (not at all) to 5 (extremely), with total scores ranging from 17 to 85. PTSD was defined as a score of 44 or greater, with no items missing. Additional covariates included sociodemographic variables and 9/11-related exposures. Data on sex, age, race/ethnicity, education, and smoking status were obtained at W1.