Food, housing insecurity among barriers to diabetic retinopathy screenings
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Key takeaways:
- Food and housing insecurity and mental health were associated with lower likelihood of type 2 diabetics receiving eye care.
- Age, income, education and attitude toward practitioner concordance were also factors.
Food or housing insecurity, mental health and cultural understanding with the practitioner are among the barriers to receiving regular diabetic retinopathy screenings, according to research published in JAMA Ophthalmology.
“The goal of this study was to evaluate the associations between visiting an eye care practitioner for [diabetic retinopathy] screening and various factors related to overall health and [social determinants of health], including socioeconomic status and health care access and utilization, captured in the All of Us Research Program,” Rohith Ravindranath, MS, of the department of ophthalmology, Byers Eye Institute, Stanford University, Palo Alto, California, and colleagues wrote.
Image: Adobe Stock
The researchers studied 11,551 adults aged 18 years or older with type 2 diabetes who participated in the All of Us Research Program survey between May 1, 2018, and July 1, 2022, to evaluate associations between visiting an eye care professional for diabetic retinopathy screening and factors related to overall health and health care access.
Results showed that 69.11% of participants reported visiting an eye care professional in the past year.
Ravindranath and colleagues found that for every 10-year increase in age, participants became more likely to see an eye care provider, and those with insurance and higher income and education were also more likely.
Those who believed the practitioner’s understanding of their race or ethnicity, gender, religion or beliefs, or native language was somewhat or very important were less likely to see an eye care provider. Those with housing or food insecurity were less likely compared to financially stable participants, and those who reported fair mental health were less likely than those who reported good mental health.
“Our results highlight self-reported barriers to seeking care and the potential importance of taking steps to promote health equity, such as providing a safe space to receive care, reducing implicit bias and improving access to care,” Ravindranath and colleagues wrote.
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