Association Between Rental Assistance Programs and Undiagnosed Diabetes Among U.S.
J Gen Intern Med
; 39(9): 1625-1631, 2024 Jul.
Article
in En
| MEDLINE
| ID: mdl-38351417
ABSTRACT
BACKGROUND:
Rental assistance programs have been linked to better housing quality, stability, healthcare access, and reduced likelihood of uncontrolled diabetes. However, its direct association with diabetes screening is uncertain.OBJECTIVE:
To determine whether federal rental assistance programs are associated with lower odds of undiagnosed diabetes.DESIGN:
We used a quasi-experimental approach, comparing outcomes among adults receiving rental assistance to those who entered assisted housing within 2 years after their health data were collected. We test the a priori hypothesis that rental assistance will be associated with decreased odds of undiagnosed diabetes.PARTICIPANTS:
Participants in the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey 1999-2018 who received rental assistance and who had diabetes. INTERVENTION Current rental assistance participation, including specific housing programs. MAINMEASURES:
Undiagnosed diabetes based on having hemoglobin A1c ≥ 6.5% but answering no to the survey question of being diagnosed with diabetes. KEYRESULTS:
Among 435 eligible adults (median age 54.5 years, female 68.5%, non-Hispanic white 32.5%), 80.7% were receiving rental assistance programs at the time of the interview, and 19.3% went on to receive rental assistance within 2 years. The rates of undiagnosed diabetes were 15.0% and 25.3% among those receiving rental assistance programs vs. those in the future assistance group (p-value = 0.07). In an adjusted logistic regression model, adults receiving rental assistance had lower odds of undiagnosed diabetes (OR 0.52, 95% CI 0.28-0.94) than those in future assistance groups. Sex, race and ethnic group, educational level, and poverty ratio were not significantly associated with having undiagnosed diabetes, but individuals aged 45-64 years had significantly lower odds of undiagnosed diabetes (OR 0.21, 95% CI 0.08-0.53) compared with those aged 18-44.CONCLUSIONS:
Rental assistance was linked to lower odds of undiagnosed diabetes, suggesting that affordable housing programs can aid in early recognition and diagnosis, which may improve long-term outcomes.Key words
Full text:
1
Collection:
01-internacional
Database:
MEDLINE
Main subject:
Nutrition Surveys
/
Diabetes Mellitus
Type of study:
Risk_factors_studies
Limits:
Adult
/
Aged
/
Female
/
Humans
/
Male
/
Middle aged
Country/Region as subject:
America do norte
Language:
En
Journal:
J Gen Intern Med
Journal subject:
MEDICINA INTERNA
Year:
2024
Document type:
Article
Affiliation country:
United States
Country of publication:
United States