Exploring the Association Between Health Disparities and Neighborhood Characteristics: The Case of Diabetes Mortality in
Health disparities refer to preventable, unfair and unjust differences in health outcomes and health determinants of different subpopulations often defined by race, ethnicity, gender, socioeconomic status and location of residence. These differences in he
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Deden Rukmana and Na’Taki Osborne Jelks
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Introduction
Globally, non-communicable diseases (NCDs), also known as chronic diseases, are on the rise. These diseases are generally characterized by long duration and are associated with a combination of genetic, physiological, environmental, and behavioral factors. Among the primary types of NCDs are cardiovascular diseases, cancers, chronic respiratory diseases, and diabetes. NCDs disproportionately affect residents of low- and middle-income countries with 32 million or more than three quarters of global NCDs occurring therein (WHO 2018a). The third of the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) focuses on good health and well-being. Ensuring healthy lives and well-being across the life course is critical to achieving sustainable development. The rise in prevalence of NCDs such as diabetes can impede progress toward the United Nations’ 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development. Targets associated with SDG 3 include a goal of reducing pre-mature mortality from non-communicable D. Rukmana (*) Department of Community and Regional Planning, Alabama A&M University, Huntsville, AL, USA e-mail: [email protected] N. O. Jelks Environmental and Health Sciences Program, Spelman College, Atlanta, GA, USA e-mail: [email protected]
diseases by one-third by the year 2030 through prevention, treatment, and the promotion of mental health and well-being (United Nations 2015). Another key strategy includes increasing the capacity of all countries, particularly developing nations, for early warning, reduction of risk and management of national and global health risks (United Nations 2015). The rise in NCDs is associated with rapid, unplanned urbanization as well as aging and the globalization of unhealthy lifestyles. Unhealthy diets and lack of physical activity contribute to unhealthy lifestyles and have been associated with the conditions in which people are born, live, and grow up in. Income level, and specifically, poverty is highly associated with NCDs. The rapid increase in prevalence of NCDs is expected to threaten poverty reduction and eradication efforts in low-income countries because of rising costs associated with household health care expenditures. In the context of NCDs, socially and economically disadvantaged populations get sicker and die sooner than less vulnerable groups and have less access to health services. Individuals’ quality of life and years of healthy life lived are thereby greatly impacted in affected groups. In addition, the often lengthy and expensive treatment required to combat NCDs can result in loss of household income earners and force millions of individuals into poverty on an annual basis and stagnate development (WHO 2018b).
# Springer Nature Switzerland AG 2021 J. Martinez et al. (eds.), Handbook of Quality of Life and Sustainability, International Handbooks of Quality-of-Life, https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-50540-0_17
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Although the United States is not a low- or middle-income country, health disparities als
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