Integrating Point-of-Care Hemoglobin A1c Screening into China's Rural Community-based Health Check-up for the Older Population

Older adults (defined as those aged ≥60 years) are disproportionately affected by diabetes in China according to the latest national survey. Among adults aged 60 to 70 and older than 70 years, the prevalence of diabetes is estimated to be 28.8% and 31.8%, respectively, and one-half of those individuals are not aware of their condition. Moreover, prediabetes is present in almost half of older adults.1 A previous study indicated that the rural‒urban care gap for patients with chronic disease shrank since the implementation of the central government's health reform effort in 2002, but inequities still persist.