Emory study indicates structural racism is accelerating the diabetes crisis in the U.S

Structural racism and geographic inequity are advancing the global crisis of diabetes, leaving people with diabetes 50 percent more likely to develop cardiovascular disease and twice as likely to die compared to those without diabetes, especially among minority populations.

A narrative literature review recently?published in Lancet, led by Saria Hassan, MD, assistant professor at Emory University School of Medicine and Rollins School of Public Health, and co-authored by faculty of the Emory Global Diabetes Research Center (EGDRC) and Morehouse School of Medicine, addresses and summarizes the current understanding of diabetes disparities by examining differences between and within race and ethnic groups and among young people aged 18 years and younger. As part of the newly published The Lancet series,?“Global Inequity in Diabetes”?the study also evaluates structural racism’s prominent role in diabetes disparities and offers recommendations to improve equity in diabetes care.

“Focusing solely on adults overlooks the degree to which the accelerating epidemic of type 2 diabetes in children and adolescents is contributing to the growing burden of disease and worsening disparities across the U.S.,” Hassan told The Lancet.

The researchers used a conceptual framework to categorize the causes of diabetes disparities across the lifespan, which looked at factors in five domains. In terms of structural racism, the researchers found that it impacts diabetes disparities at all levels, from policies and interpersonal relationships to the community level.

“Your environment in many ways dictates your health,” says Hassan. “It’s well-established that obesity, health behaviors, lifestyle, and access to quality care are risk factors for diabetes. However, at the community level, neighborhoods with primarily Black and Hispanic individuals tend to have little space for physical activity, have more food deserts, and higher levels of toxic environmental exposures.”

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