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Type 2 diabetes (T2D) disproportionately affects racial and ethnic minority groups. Black Americans are 50% more likely to have T2D, and are at higher risk for complications, than whites.1 They are also the group with the highest rates of obesity. 40% of Latinos with T2D have not been formally diagnosed, and 45% struggle with obesity. This isn’t just a chronic disease epidemic, it’s a health equity crisis.
Many health equity gaps in care may be attributable to social determinants of health (SDOH). SDOH are the social and environmental conditions that people grow up, work, and live in that influence their health, like level of income, quality of housing, access to nutritious food, and experiences of discrimination.