Community networking as a means for identifying people with diabetes in a rural, predominantly bicultural community in New Zealand

Aims. To assess the use of community networking to estimate the prevalence of diabetes in a predominantly New Zealand Maori and European community. Methods. A cross-sectional survey of people with known diabetes identified either through general practice or community networks (others with diabetes, public notices or public meetings) was undertaken. Ascertainment was compared using capture-recapture methods for two independent samples. Results. Overall ascertainment by community networking was greater for Maori than Europeans (40 ± 3% vs 15 ± 2%, p < 0.001). Ascertainment using general practice registers was comparable in the two ethnic groups (48 ± 4% vs 55 ± 5%, respectively). Women were more likely than men to be contacted through community networking (odds ratio 1.47, 1.05-2.06). Conclusion. In closely knit communities, community networking provides an independent source for estimating the prevalence of diabetes.