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Monika M. Safford 1 Article
Cardiovascular Risk/Epidemiology
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Social Determinants of Health and Cardiovascular Risk among Adults with Diabetes: The Reasons for Geographic and Racial Differences in Stroke (REGARDS) Study
Lisa Zhang, Evgeniya Reshetnyak, Joanna B. Ringel, Laura C. Pinheiro, April Carson, Doyle M. Cummings, Raegan W. Durant, Gargya Malla, Monika M. Safford
Received October 24, 2023  Accepted March 26, 2024  Published online July 22, 2024  
DOI: https://doi.org/10.4093/dmj.2023.0380    [Epub ahead of print]
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Background
Social determinants of health (SDOH) have been associated with diabetes risk; however, their association with cardiovascular disease (CVD) events in individuals with diabetes is poorly described. We hypothesized that a greater number of SDOH among individuals with diabetes would be associated with a higher risk of CVD events.
Methods
The REasons for Geographic and Racial Differences in Stroke (REGARDS) study is a national, biracial cohort of 30,239 individuals ≥45 years old recruited in 2003–2007. We included 6,322 participants with diabetes at baseline, defined as healthcare professional diagnosis, diabetes medication use, or blood glucose values. Seven SDOH that were individually associated with CVD events were included (P<0.20). The outcome was CVD events, a composite of expert-adjudicated myocardial infarction, stroke, or cardiovascular death. We estimated Cox proportional hazard models to examine associations between number of SDOH (0, 1, 2, ≥3) and CVD events.
Results
In an age and sex adjusted model, the presence of multiple SDOH significantly increased the risk of any CVD event (hazard ratio [HR], 1.48; 95% confidence interval [CI], 1.26 to 1.74 for two SDOH; HR, 1.68; 95% CI, 1.43 to 1.96 for ≥3 SDOH). This finding was attenuated but remained statistically significant in a fully adjusted model (HR, 1.19; 95% CI, 1.01 to 1.40 for two SDOH; HR, 1.27; 95% CI, 1.07 to 1.50 for ≥3 SDOH).
Conclusion
Having multiple SDOH was independently associated with an increased risk of CVD events, a finding driven by cardiovascular death. Identifying individuals with diabetes who have multiple SDOH may be helpful for detecting those at higher risk of experiencing or dying from CVD events.

Diabetes Metab J : Diabetes & Metabolism Journal
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