The diabetes rate in southeast Ohio is the national average. Nearly 20% of the region鈥檚 adults have the chronic disease.
New research is providing insight about why.
Ohio University medical student Samuel Borgemenke and assistant professor Allyson Hughes examined the relationship between six 鈥渟ocial determinants of health鈥� and the prevalence of diabetes.
鈥� are just different factors that can impact one's well-being without necessarily being the typical hospital or health care system,鈥� Borgemenke said.
Factors like safe housing, steady income and literacy skills are all social determinants, and can have significant impacts on someone鈥檚 health.
Counties in Appalachian Ohio tend to be worse off in these categories. The pair鈥檚 research found the area has significantly more children living in poverty, higher rates of food insecurity, lower numbers of primary care physicians, and more uninsured and poor people.
But they found three of those social determinants are more closely correlated to the region鈥檚 high diabetes rates: child poverty, food insecurity and socioeconomic status.
"Being in Appalachia, being in coal mining country, there's a lot of generational trauma that really seems to have impacted this area."Allyson Hughes, Ohio University assistant professor
In some ways, that鈥檚 not surprising, Borgemenke said.
鈥淓specially for Type 2 diabetes, food insecurity and economic status, having access to healthy food and the ability to exercise, are all things I would assume are closely related to diabetes rates.鈥�
But there鈥檚 more to the story.
People have a of developing diabetes if they have a family member who has it.
And people who live through traumatic events can have offspring up to three times more likely to develop the disease, said Hughes in .
鈥淏eing in Appalachia, being in coal mining country, there's a lot of generational trauma that really seems to have impacted this area,鈥� she said. 鈥淪o once you add in the social determinants of health, I would say there鈥檚 even more of an increase because it鈥檚 just the perfect storm.鈥�
Hughes and Borgemenke hope better understanding the underlying factors that contribute to high diabetes rates can help health providers better serve people in southeast Ohio.
Hughes suggested interventions like checking glucose levels earlier than usual if doctors know someone experienced poverty or food insecurity as a child.
鈥淭hink about a safety net program,鈥� she said. 鈥淲hat can we do to make things better?鈥�
This study shows addressing child poverty and food deserts could make a difference.
鈥淎nd that would benefit more conditions than just diabetes,鈥� she said.
