Socioeconomic determinants of type 2 diabetes in England

Abstract

Background: The rise in diabetes worldwide and its significance as a cause of disability and premature death has increased the interest of researchers in diabetes mellitus. There is a large volume of published studies describing the role of factors such as income, poor education, inadequate housing conditions and unemployment as key social determinants in the development and progression of type 2 diabetes (T2D). This study therefore set out to investigate the main socioeconomic predictors of T2D in England. Methods: Based on the available literature on the socioeconomic determinants of T2D, the variables, unemployment (long-term and short-term), overcrowding, income deprivation and no qualification were selected. Data on the socioeconomic determinants and prevalence of type 2 diabetes were retrieved online from the registry of the Office for National Statistics and the Health and Social Care Information Centre respectively. This was done specifically for the 64 randomly selected districts in England. Following preliminary analysis, multiple regression was conducted to ensure there was no violation of the assumptions of regression. Results: Correlation indicates a significant moderate positive correlation between the prevalence of T2D and each of the variables: long-term unemployment, no qualifications and income deprivation, but no significant relationship with overcrowding. Multiple linear regression analysis indicates that long-term unemployment and no qualification were significant predictors of T2D in England. Conclusions: The evidence from this study suggests that the prioritisation of resources, especially in periods of austerity and welfare reforms, to target these key predictors may achieve much in reducing the prevalence of T2D in England. Hence, it is recommended that a comprehensive data collection of these demographic characteristics are integrated into the existing process, and the collective effects of social, economic and biologic factors are investigated in future studies.