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A recent study published in JAMA Network Open highlights the alarming link between low income and higher mortality risk among adults with type 2 diabetes (T2D), particularly among younger adults aged 20 to 39 years.
Conducted by Ji Yoon Kim, M.D., Ph.D., and colleagues at Korea University College of Medicine in Seoul, the study analyzed data from a nationwide cohort of 604,975 adults aged 20 to 79 years diagnosed with T2D between 2008 and 2013. Participants were followed until 2019 and compared to 635,805 age- and sex-matched controls without diabetes.
The findings revealed a stark disparity: individuals with lower incomes faced significantly higher mortality risks. The effect was most pronounced among younger adults. For individuals aged 20 to 39, the adjusted hazard ratio for all-cause mortality in the low-income group was 2.88 compared to their high-income counterparts. Similar but less pronounced trends were observed for older age groups, with hazard ratios of 1.90 and 1.26 for the 40-to-59 and 60-to-79 age groups, respectively.
Income disparities also influenced cause-specific mortality. Cardiovascular-related deaths were significantly higher among younger individuals with low income, although this pattern was less evident for cancer-related mortality.
“Individual income level was an independent risk factor for mortality in patients with T2D, and the income-related disparity in mortality was pronounced in young people,” the study authors noted.
The research underscores the need for targeted public health interventions to address socioeconomic disparities in diabetes care and outcomes, particularly for young adults facing financial hardship.
For further details, see the studies by Ji Yoon Kim et al. and Devin W. Steenkamp et al., available in JAMA Network Open.
Sources
- Ji Yoon Kim et al, Income-Related Disparities in Mortality Among Young Adults With Type 2 Diabetes, JAMA Network Open (2024). DOI: 10.1001/jamanetworkopen.2024.43918
- Devin W. Steenkamp et al, Low Income and Mortality in Young Adults Living With Type 2 Diabetes, JAMA Network Open (2024). DOI: 10.1001/jamanetworkopen.2024.43884
