Abstract
Background
Rental assistance programs have been linked to better housing quality, stability, healthcare access, and reduced likelihood of uncontrolled diabetes. However, its direct association with diabetes screening is uncertain.
Objective
To determine whether federal rental assistance programs are associated with lower odds of undiagnosed diabetes.
Design
We used a quasi-experimental approach, comparing outcomes among adults receiving rental assistance to those who entered assisted housing within 2 years after their health data were collected. We test the a priori hypothesis that rental assistance will be associated with decreased odds of undiagnosed diabetes.
Participants
Participants in the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey 1999–2018 who received rental assistance and who had diabetes.
Intervention
Current rental assistance participation, including specific housing programs.
Main Measures
Undiagnosed diabetes based on having hemoglobin A1c ≥ 6.5% but answering no to the survey question of being diagnosed with diabetes.
Key Results
Among 435 eligible adults (median age 54.5 years, female 68.5%, non-Hispanic white 32.5%), 80.7% were receiving rental assistance programs at the time of the interview, and 19.3% went on to receive rental assistance within 2 years. The rates of undiagnosed diabetes were 15.0% and 25.3% among those receiving rental assistance programs vs. those in the future assistance group (p-value = 0.07). In an adjusted logistic regression model, adults receiving rental assistance had lower odds of undiagnosed diabetes (OR 0.52, 95% CI 0.28–0.94) than those in future assistance groups. Sex, race and ethnic group, educational level, and poverty ratio were not significantly associated with having undiagnosed diabetes, but individuals aged 45–64 years had significantly lower odds of undiagnosed diabetes (OR 0.21, 95% CI 0.08–0.53) compared with those aged 18–44.
Conclusions
Rental assistance was linked to lower odds of undiagnosed diabetes, suggesting that affordable housing programs can aid in early recognition and diagnosis, which may improve long-term outcomes.
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Funding for this project was provided by grants R01 DK124500 from the NIDDK, NIH (Dr Keene); UL1 TR001863 from the National Center for Advancing Translational Sciences (Dr Esserman); and P2C HD041025 from the Eunice Kennedy Shriver National Institute of Child Health and Human Development (Dr Fenelon). This paper’s authors would like to clarify that no conflicts of interest or disclaimers will be reported. The research presented herein is solely based on the author’s independent work. It does not involve any financial or personal relationships that could have influenced this paper’s content, methodology, or conclusions. Dr. Lipska has stated that she is in receipt of grant support from NIH, other support from CMS, and royalties from UpToDate.
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Gonzalez-Lopez, C., Fenelon, A., Lipska, K.J. et al. Association Between Rental Assistance Programs and Undiagnosed Diabetes Among U.S. J GEN INTERN MED (2024). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11606-024-08673-2
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s11606-024-08673-2