Document Type

Article

Publication Date

2024

Publication Title

Healthcare

Volume

12

Issue

14

First Page

1446

DOI

https://doi.org/10.3390/healthcare12141446

Keywords

type 2 diabetes mellitus, education, social determinant, health inequity, adult

Abstract

Education is correlated with health literacy, which is a combination of reading and listening skills, data analysis, and decision-making during the necessary health situations. This study aims to evaluate the effect of education on the risk of type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM). This is a population-based cross-sectional study using the 2019 nationwide survey data in Korea. There were 3951 study subjects, after excluding participants with missing data for key exposures and outcome variables. Descriptive statistics, χ2 (chi-square) test, and logistic regression were performed to analyze the data. The prevalence of T2DM was associated with educational attainment, sex, age, smoking status, physical activity, carbohydrate intake, and obesity. In the logistic regression model, the odds ratio (OR) of having T2DM was much lower among people educated in college or higher (OR = 0.49, 95% confidence interval [95% CI] = 0.34–0.64) than those with only or without primary education after adjusting for biological factors (sex, age) and health behaviors (smoking status, physical activity, carbohydrate intake, and obesity). This study shows that educational attainment is a significant social determinant influencing health outcomes both directly and indirectly. Therefore, it is necessary to develop policies to reduce the health inequity of T2DM caused by differences in educational attainment.

Comments

This article originally published 19 July 2024 by MDPI at https://www.mdpi.com/2227-9032/12/14/1446

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