Screening Obese Students for Acanthosis Nigricans and Other Diabetes Risk Factors in the Urban School-Based Health Center

Abstract

Objective. To determine the prevalence of acanthosis nigricans (AN) and other diabetes risk factors in urban school health clinics. Methods. During the period 2006-2009 nurse practitioners (NPs) screened students who had a BMI ≥ 95th percentile and 1 additional diabetes risk factor. Blood glucose (BG) was measured by finger stick. NPs were trained on how to ascertain the presence of AN on the neck area. Results. NPs screened 854 students (mean age 11.4 years, 60.5% female, and 73.3% black). AN and elevated BG were found among 26% and 6.4% of students, respectively. Females and minorities were respectively 50% and 4 times more likely to have AN. Youth with AN were twice as likely to have elevated glucose. Conclusion. AN can be easily identified by trained health care professionals even in busy school-based clinic settings. Checking for AN and appropriate education and counseling should become a routine part of electronic documentation in overweight youth.