Socioeconomic disadvantage has been associated with disparities in chronic disease outcomes, but its relationship with specific diabetes complications remains incompletely quantified. A population-based study using data from 621,114 individuals with type 2 diabetes in the Australian National Diabetes Services Scheme examined associations between socioeconomic disadvantage and cause-specific first hospital admission or death from 2010 to 2022. The results of the study were published in the Diabetes Research and Clinical Practice.
Linked hospital and mortality data were analyzed using Poisson regression adjusted for age, sex, and calendar year. Increasing socioeconomic disadvantage was associated with higher incidence rate ratios (IRRs) per 1-standard-deviation (SD) increase in disadvantage for several complications, including chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (IRR 1.19; 95% CI 1.18–1.21), myocardial infarction (1.12; 1.11–1.13), heart failure (1.11; 1.10–1.12), cellulitis (1.10; 1.09–1.12), and end-stage kidney disease (1.09; 1.07–1.12).
Associations were also observed for foot complications and respiratory diseases. However, most cancers, depression, and dementia showed weaker or no association with socioeconomic disadvantage.
Because the analysis was limited to hospitalizations and deaths, earlier disease stages were not captured. Additional limitations included potential diagnostic coding variability, absence of individual-level socioeconomic and behavioral data, and restricted geographic representation.