Exploring demographic, socio-economic, and environmental correlates of diabetes death rates

becoming a public health concern in the U.S. Guided by social determinants of
health theory, this research uses Ordinary Least Squares regression to examine
the relationship between diabetes death rates and contextual demographic,
socio-economic and environmental characteristics at the county subdivision
level in the State of Connecticut, U.S. The results show that explanatory variables,
such as percent of Hispanic population, population density, unemployment
rate, the percent of population beyond 1 mile from supermarket, the percent
of population beyond 1 mile for urban areas or 10 miles for rural areas from
supermarket, the percent of households reported not having sufficient funds
in the last 12 months to purchase food are statistically significantly associated
with diabetes death rates. This research enables health practitioners and policy
makers to gain a better understanding of the demographic, socio-economic and
environmental determinants of diabetes death rates at the county subdivision
level. Accordingly, provided are policies to reduce the death rates. This study
presents an initial and exploratory step towards better understanding of diabetes
death rates in Connecticut, U.S., but much more in-depth work is needed before
health researchers and practitioners understand why explanatory factors only
explained up to 57.8% of the diabetes death rates in the state.