A Cross-Sectional Comparison of US Adult Diabetes Screening Levels by Disability Status

Diabetes is a potentially life-threatening metabolic condition that disproportionately affects US adults with a disability. Diabetes screening is key to early disease detection and prompt treatment, but it is not known whether US adults with a disability receive similar levels of diabetes screening as individuals without a disability. We compared diabetes screening levels in US adults with a disability to those without one. Using national 2017 Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System surveys, we determined the prevalence of diabetes screening by disability status in US adults who fall under the American Diabetes Association’s recommended screening guidelines: those younger than 45 years old with a body mass index (BMI) ≥ 25 kg/m² and those aged 45 years and older. We used logistic regression modelling to examine the impact of disability status on diabetes screening while adjusting for diabetes associated sociodemographic and clinical factors. In people with a disability, around 50% of those younger than 45 years old with a BMI ≥ 25 kg/m² and 33% of those 45 years or older did not receive screening. In the under 45 years with a BMI ≥ 25 kg/m² screening group, individuals with a disability had a slightly higher but non-significant prevalence, but a lower adjusted odds of diabetes screening compared to those without a disability. People with a disability under age 45 had a slightly lower but again non-significant prevalence but a higher adjusted odds of diabetes screening than did those without a disability who were age 45 or older. Additional interventions are needed to improve diabetes screening levels among US adults with a disability at high risk of developing diabetes as screening is a critical initial step in the diabetes management process.