Eberhardt MS, Casagrande SS, Cowie CC, Cowie CC, Casagrande SS, Menke A, Cissell MA, Eberhardt MS, Meigs JB, Gregg EW, Knowler WC, Barrett-Connor E, Becker DJ, Brancati FL, Boyko EJ, Herman WH, Howard BV, Narayan KMV, Rewers M, and Fradkin JE
This chapter presents the demographic and socioeconomic characteristics of people with and without diabetes. The main data source is the National Health Interview Survey (NHIS), with supplemental information from the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES). Estimates from these surveys are nationally representative of the U.S. civilian noninstitutionalized population and are presented for adults age ≥20 years with diabetes diagnosed at either age <20 years or age ≥20 years, adults without diabetes, and when available, youth age <20 years with diabetes and people with undiagnosed diabetes or prediabetes. Overall, people with diabetes were older (76.3% were age ≥50 years compared to 28.2% of people without diagnosed diabetes). In 2009–2010, the current mean age was 46.3 years in people with diabetes diagnosed age <20 years, 60.5 years in people with diabetes diagnosed age ≥20 years, and 45.9 years in people without diabetes. More people with diabetes were male (51.2%) compared to people without diabetes (48.8%). The percentage of male adults among those diagnosed before and after age 20 years was similar (48.9% and 51.4%), and no significant sex differences existed among youth or adults with diabetes diagnosed age <20 years. Adults with diabetes were more frequently non-Hispanic black compared to adults without diabetes. Among those with diabetes diagnosed age ≥20 years, 64.4% were non-Hispanic white, 15.8% non-Hispanic black, 14.8% Hispanic, 4.1% non-Hispanic Asian/Pacific Islander, and 0.9% non-Hispanic American Indian and Alaska Native, similar to adults age ≥20 years with diabetes diagnosed age <20 years. In adults without diabetes, the percentages were 69.6%, 11.4%, 13.6%, 4.8%, and 0.6%, respectively. Among adults with diabetes diagnosed age ≥20 years, the mean age at diagnosis was 52.3 years in non-Hispanic white, 49.4 years in non-Hispanic Asian/Pacific Islander, 47.4 years in non-Hispanic black, 47.3 years in Hispanic, and 46.1 in non-Hispanic American Indian and Alaska Native adults. The mean duration of diabetes was longest for adults with diabetes diagnosed age <20 years. In 2006–2010, 77.2% of adults with diabetes diagnosed age <20 years had diabetes for ≥20 years compared to 14.6% of adults in 2009–2010 with diabetes diagnosed age ≥20 years. During 2009–2010, 80.4% of adults with diabetes diagnosed age ≥20 years lived in metropolitan counties compared to 84.3% of adults without diabetes. A similar percentage of people with diagnosed diabetes (53%) and without diabetes (52%) lived in the top 10 most populous states; the rank order of states for the largest percentage of the U.S. population with diabetes was California, Texas, Florida, New York, Ohio, Illinois, Pennsylvania, Michigan, North Carolina, and Georgia. Regionally, a slightly higher percentage lived in the Southern United States (46.1% of adults diagnosed age <20 years, 38.7% of adults diagnosed age ≥20 years, and 35.3% of adults without diagnosed diabetes). In 2009–2010, 83.2% of adults diagnosed age ≥20 years and 83.0% of adults without diabetes were U.S. born, which was similar to the 2006–2010 estimate of 85.9% for adults diagnosed age <20 years. A higher percentage of persons who were age <20 years and had diabetes were U.S. born (96.8%). English was spoken in at least 93% of homes where people with diabetes lived. Over 9% of adults with diabetes in the United States were born in Mexico, Central American, or the Caribbean Islands. Among immigrants, adults with diabetes lived in the United States longer than adults without diagnosed diabetes. For example, 72.3% and 84.2% of adults with diabetes diagnosed before or after age 20 years, respectively, had lived in the United States at least 15 years compared to 58.5% of adults without diagnosed diabetes. Marriage was more common among adults with diabetes diagnosed age ≥20 years compared to adults without diabetes or adults diagnosed age <20 years (59.2%, 56.0%, and 48.9%), but a higher percentage of adults with diabetes diagnosed age ≥20 years lived alone compared to adults without diabetes (21.1% vs. 17.1%). The level of attained education was lower in adults with diabetes compared to those without diabetes (e.g., 17.6% of adults with diabetes diagnosed age ≥20 years, 18.6% of adults with diabetes diagnosed age <20 years, and 31.4% of adults without diabetes graduated with a bachelor’s degree or higher). Among adults with diabetes diagnosed age ≥20 years, fewer women (13.8%) graduated from college than men (21.2%) compared to women (30.4%) and men (32.5%) without diabetes. College graduation was reported by 40.3% of non-Hispanic Asian/Pacific Islander, 20.1% of non-Hispanic white, 13.3% of non-Hispanic black, and 6.1% of Hispanic adults with diabetes diagnosed age ≥20 years, which was lower than their respective groups without diabetes. Adults with diabetes had lower family income (54.3% diagnosed age <20 years, 43.8% diagnosed age ≥20 years, and 32.4% without diagnosed diabetes made <$35,000 annually between 2007 and 2010). Likewise, more adults with diabetes had a Poverty Income Ratio (PIR) <2.00 (49.1%, 38.4%, and 30.7%, respectively). Nearly 25% of non-Hispanic black, Hispanic, and non-Hispanic American Indian and Alaska Native adults lived below poverty (PIR <1.00) regardless of diabetes diagnosis. After considering family income within age and race/ethnicity groups, only adults age 45–64 years with diabetes diagnosed age ≥20 years had lower incomes than similar age adults without diabetes. In 2009–2010, a lower percentage of adults with diabetes diagnosed age ≥20 years reported working in the previous 12 months (43.3%) compared to adults without diabetes (71.8%) or adults in 2006–2010 with diabetes diagnosed age <20 years (53.7%). Over 70% of each group were employed in the private sector, and adults with diabetes diagnosed age ≥20 years had the largest percentage working for the government (21.5%). Being retired was the main reason for not working among adults with diabetes diagnosed age ≥20 years, adults without diabetes, and adults with diabetes diagnosed age <20 years (56.9%, 43.5%, and 38.7%, respectively); and being disabled was more frequently reported by adults in the diabetes groups (28.5%, 15.5%, and 37.2%, respectively). Men with diabetes diagnosed age ≥20 years were more often military veterans than men without diabetes (34.7% vs. 17.2%). Among adults with diabetes diagnosed age ≥20 years, 46.6% received Social Security or Railroad retirement benefits compared to 17.4% of adults without diabetes, and >7% of adults with diabetes received Supplemental Security Income usually due to a disability compared to 2.2% of adults without diabetes.