Objective: The association between deprivation in the residential environment and the prevalence of type 2 diabetes has been evaluated by applying two approaches to measure neighbourhood deprivation.
Methods: Individual data were extracted from the Dortmund Health Study (n=1 312) and combined with administrative data on 62 neighbourhoods in the city of Dortmund. Deprivation indices were constructed by applying principal component analysis with a set of 8 demographic and socio-economic context variables on the low city level. 2-level cross-sectional logistic regression analyses were conducted, adjusted for age, sex, social class and employment status.
Results: The study population had a type 2 diabetes prevalence of 7.2%. The principal component analysis provided a 2-factor solution of which one factor was given in the multivariable analysis. Individuals, residing in neighbourhoods with a very high level of unemployment rate or socio-economic deprivation, showed a higher chance to have type 2 diabetes [OR: 4.44 (95% CI: 1.29-15.33) or, respectively, OR: 2.79 (95% CI: 1.10-7.07)], independent of individual characteristics.
Conclusion: Beyond individual characteristics, the residential environment contributes to the chance of type 2 diabetes. The unemployment rate operated as a strong predictor of the chance of type 2 diabetes.
© Georg Thieme Verlag KG Stuttgart · New York.