Effects of family and neighborhood risks on glycemic control among young black adolescents with type 1 diabetes: Findings from a multi-center study

Deborah A. Ellis*, Malcolm P. Cutchin, Thomas Templin, April Idalski Carcone, Meredyth Evans, Jill Weissberg-Benchell, Colleen Buggs-Saxton, Claudia Boucher-Berry, Jennifer L. Miller, Mouhammad Al Wazeer, Jamil Gharib, Yasir Mehmood, Jessica Worley

*Corresponding author for this work

Research output: Contribution to journalArticlepeer-review

9 Scopus citations

Abstract

While individual and family risk factors that contribute to health disparities in children with type 1 diabetes have been identified, studies on the effects of neighborhood risk factors on glycemic control are limited, particularly in minority samples. This cross-sectional study tested associations between family conflict, neighborhood adversity and glycemic outcomes (HbA1c) in a sample of urban, young Black adolescents with type 1 diabetes(mean age = 13.4 ± 1.7), as well as whether neighborhood adversity moderated the relationship between family conflict and HbA1c. Participants (N = 128) were recruited from five pediatric diabetes clinics in two major metropolitan US cities. Diabetes-related family conflict was measured via self-report questionnaire (Diabetes Family Conflict Scale; DFCS). Neighborhood adversity was calculated at the census block group level based on US census data. Indictors of adversity were used to calculate a neighborhood adversity index (NAI) for each participant. Median family income was $25,000, suggesting a low SES sample. In multiple regression analyses, DFCS and NAI both had significant, independent effects on glycemic control (β = 0.174, P = 0.034 and β = 0.226 P = 0.013, respectively) after controlling for child age, family socioeconomic status and insulin management regimen. Tests of effects of the NAI and DFCS interaction on HbA1c found no significant moderating effects of neighborhood adversity. Even within contexts of significant socioeconomic disadvantage, variability in degree of neighborhood adversity predicts diabetes-related health outcomes in young Black adolescents with type 1 diabetes. Providers should assess social determinants of health such as neighborhood resources that may impact adolescents' ability to maintain optimal glycemic control.

Original languageEnglish (US)
Pages (from-to)511-518
Number of pages8
JournalPediatric Diabetes
Volume22
Issue number3
DOIs
StatePublished - May 2021

Funding

Funding for the study was provided in part by R01DK110075‐01A1 from the NIDDK and P30ES020957 from the NIEHS. The study's human subject procedures were approved by the IRB of the first author.

Keywords

  • adolescent
  • family
  • neighborhood

ASJC Scopus subject areas

  • Internal Medicine
  • Pediatrics, Perinatology, and Child Health
  • Endocrinology, Diabetes and Metabolism

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