Rebecca Araujo

Urban Health Today

A study to be presented at the American Heart Association&rsquo;s Scientific Sessions 2024 reported that an increased risk of type 2 diabetes was associated with limited access to healthy foods for individuals living in historically redlined neighborhoods.For this study, researchers from the Medical College of Wisconsin and Texas A&amp;M University utilized census data from 201 counties in 38 states. The mean prevalence of diabetes in people living in historically redlined neighborhoods was 11.8%. Both redlining and lower food access were directly associated with higher prevalence of diabetes (both, P&lt;.001). Researchers also found that redlining was indirectly associated with diabetes via food access (P&lt;.001). In addition to diabetes, redlining and limited food access were associated with higher prevalence of high blood pressure, coronary heart disease, and obesity.&ldquo;The impact that social factors, like access to healthy foods, have as a pathway through which structural racism impacts health is important to identify so health care professionals and policymakers are aware of the long-term impact of historical events on current living experiences affecting their patients&rsquo; health,&rdquo; said lead study author Dr. Rebekah J. Walker, in a <a href="https://newsroom.heart.org/news/heart-disease-more-common-in-past-redlined-areas-linked-to-limited-access-to-healthy-foods" target="_blank" rel="noopener">press release</a>.In response to these findings, former American Heart Association volunteer president Dr. Clyde W. Yancy said, &ldquo;Disruptive new strategies, provocative voices and breakthrough science applied to healthier foods is our call to action. We can make redlining a historical footnote and that should be among the American Heart Association&rsquo;s goals for its next century.&rdquo;The authors called for public health interventions to increase access to healthy foods at the community level, particularly for individuals at risk of cardiometabolic disease living in previously redlined neighborhoods.ReferenceWalker R, Campbell J, Linde S, Egede L. Direct and Indirect Effects of Historic Residential Redlining on Prevalence of Cardiometabolic Diseases via Food Access. Abstract #MDP440. Presented at the American Heart Association Scientific Sessions 2024; November 16-18, 2024; Chicago, Illinois.

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Elevated Diabetes Risk Linked to Historical Redlining, Reduced Access to Healthy Foods

Diabetes

Both redlining and lower food access were directly associated with higher prevalence of diabetes, heart disease, and obesity.

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