Age- and Sex-Specific Relationships between Household Income, Education, and Diabetes Mellitus in Korean Adults: The Korea National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey, 2008-2010

Abstract

BackgroundTo investigate the effects of age and sex on the relationship between socioeconomic status (SES) and the prevalence and control status of diabetes mellitus (DM) in Korean adults.MethodsData came from 16,175 adults (6,951 men and 9,227 women) over the age of 30 who participated in the 2008-2010 Korea National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey. SES was measured by household income or education level. The adjusted odds ratios (ORs) and corresponding 95% confidence intervals (95% CI) for the prevalence or control status of diabetes were calculated using multiple logistic regression analyses across household income quartiles and education levels.ResultsThe household income-DM and education level-DM relationships were significant in younger age groups for both men and women. The adjusted ORs and 95% CI for diabetes were 1.51 (0.97, 2.34) and 2.28 (1.29, 4.02) for the lowest vs. highest quartiles of household income and education level, respectively, in women younger than 65 years of age (both P for linear trend < 0.05 with Bonferroni adjustment). The adjusted OR and 95% CI for diabetes was 2.28 (1.53, 3.39) for the lowest vs. highest quartile of household income in men younger than 65 (P for linear trend < 0.05 with Bonferroni adjustment). However, in men and women older than 65, no associations were found between SES and the prevalence of DM. No significant association between SES and the status of glycemic control was detected.ConclusionsWe found age- and sex-specific differences in the relationship of household income and education with the prevalence of DM in Korea. DM preventive care is needed for groups with a low SES, particularly in young or middle-aged populations.

Selected Food Consumption Mediates the Association between Education Level and Metabolic Syndrome in Korean Adults

“…Similarly, low education level was associated with higher mortality of CVD [11], clinical outcome of myocardial infarction [12,] and stroke [13]. Interestingly, different impacts of SES, particularly low education level on cardiovascular risks, such as DM [14], HTN [15,16], and dyslipidemia [17] in a gender-dependent manner have also been reported in Korean adults. These results raise the question as to what would be the mediators linking the association between the education level and health outcome.…”

“…They also concluded that higher education may be the best SES predictor of good health. However, emerging evidence has inconsistently reported that low SES including education level is related to poor health outcome including CVD, stroke, T2DM, HTN, and dyslipidemia [11,12,13,14,15,16,17] particularly in Korean population. Several behavioral measures have linked SES to cardiovascular health, include smoking, alcohol behavior, physical activity, and diet [18].…”

Distribution and patterning of non-communicable disease risk factors in indigenous Mbororo and non-autochthonous populations in Cameroon: cross sectional study

“…Studies suggest differences in chronic medical conditions, age and sex differences in associations may be explained by demographic and socioeconomic factors [47, 48]. The higher prevalence of NCD risk factors in settled Fulani (Fulbe) when compared to the nomadic Fulani (Mbororo) may indicate a greater susceptibility to NCDs with settled life than the general population due to change of lifestyle, genetic predisposition or factors linked to early life development.…”

The influence of socioeconomic status on future risk for developing Type 2 diabetes in the Canadian population between 2011 and 2022: differential associations by sex

“…In understanding disease risk, it is critical to acknowledge broad factors underpinning inequitable distributions of disease such that adverse health is concentrated among the more disadvantaged [7,8]. Diabetes is more common among the poor and excluded [9,10], and diabetes risk factors have been shown to be most prevalent among the most socioeconomically disadvantaged [11][12][13][14][15][16][17]. Additionally, once diagnosed with diabetes, individuals of lower socioeconomic status (SES) are at greater risk of mortality compared to those of higher SES [10,18].…”