UCSF

Diabetes is a leading cause of morbidity and mortality in Latinos, but few studies of disease risk in this subpopulation examine both area-level socioeconomic position (SEP) and its association with individual-level risk factors. This study sought to examine the cross-sectional relationship between neighborhood socioeconomic position (NSEP) and prevalent diabetes and prediabetes status among older Latinos. Longitudinal health data were collected from 1,789 participants in the Sacramento Area Latino Study on Aging (SALSA). Among SALSA participants, higher NSEP was associated with lower diabetes prevalence (p = .001). Adjustment for body mass index and other individual-level factors did not affect this relationship. No association was observed between NSEP and prediabetes in both unadjusted and adjusted models. Neighborhoods with higher SEP had a lower prevalence of diabetes. This study highlights the importance of considering neighborhood factors that may place older Latinos at high risk for this disease.