Socioeconomic Factors and Inequality in the Prevalence and Treatment of Diabetes among Middle-Aged and Elderly Adults in China

Abstract

Background In China, the prevalence of diabetes has increased significantly over recent decades, owing to the county's rapidly aging population. Although many studies have examined the prevalence of diabetes worldwide, there has been little analysis of the inequalities in its prevalence and treatment among middle-aged and elderly people. Objectives This study evaluates influence factors and inequality in respect to the prevalence of diabetes and medication treatment among middle-aged and elderly Chinese adults. Methods Data were obtained from the China Health and Retirement Longitudinal Study, a nationally representative household survey of middle-aged and elderly people (i.e., 45 years of age or older). Logistic regression models and the concentration index were used to estimate socioeconomic factors and inequalities in diabetes prevalence and treatment. Results The prevalence of self-reported diabetes among middle-aged and elderly Chinese adults was 8.4%; this figure was significantly higher in urban areas than in rural areas. Concentrations of prevalence were observed among the poor in urban areas and among the rich in rural areas. Overall, the incidence of receiving antidiabetic medication among diabetes patients was 64.3%; this was significantly higher for individuals in urban areas than those in rural areas, suggesting that awareness of diabetes treatment in urban areas is better than that in rural areas. A disproportionate concentration of incidence of receiving antidiabetic medication was observed among the rich in both urban and rural areas. Socioeconomic factors significantly affected the prevalence of diabetes and the likelihood of receiving medication and are major contributors to inequality. Conclusion In China, policies and strategies regarding diabetes prevention and control should further focus on associated socioeconomic factors and major contributors to reduce diabetes prevalence, improve diabetes treatment and management, and alleviate current inequality in the prevalence and treatment of diabetes among middle-aged and elderly adults.

A cross-sectional study on diabetes epidemiology among people aged 40 years and above in Shenyang, China

“…1). A study has demonstrated that the women diabetic awareness rate is higher than in men in rural areas 21 , which is different from the results reported in this study. This difference may be due to the larger urban population that was included in this study.…”

Changes in health inequalities for patients with diabetes among middle-aged and elderly in China from 2011 to 2015

“…Policies for reducing the inequality of diabetes incidence ought to focus on the socioeconomic factors, such as implementing strategies to enhance hygiene health education, promote healthy lifestyles to control obesity rate, narrow the disparity between urban and rural areas [23].…”

“…In this study, we defined X k as the socioeconomic factor related to diabetes prevalence. Thus, the linear regression analysis model of diabetes prevalence and related factors is as follows [23]:…”

Changes in health inequalities for patients with diabetes among middle-aged and elderly in China from 2011 to 2015

“…In this study, we defined as the socioeconomic factor related to diabetes prevalence. Thus, the linear regression analysis model of diabetes prevalence and related factors is as follows [23]:…”