Racial/Ethnic Disparities in Access to Transportation Among Persons with Type 2 Diabetes Mellitus.

BACKGROUND

Lack of access to reliable transportation is a barrier to utilizing healthcare and other resources related to type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM). Little research has evaluated race/ethnicity-based differences in access to reliable transportation among persons with T2DM.

PURPOSE

To examine whether access to reliable transportation for persons with T2DM differed by race/ethnicity.

METHODS

Analysis was conducted among persons with T2DM using 2022 Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System data. The outcome was access to reliable transportation (yes/no) for medical appointments, meetings, work, or getting things needed for daily living in the last year. The independent variable was race/ethnicity (White, Black/African American, Asian, American Indian or Alaskan Native (AI/AN), Hispanic, Native Hawaiian or Other Pacific Islander, or multi-racial). Weighted logistic regression models examined the association between access to reliable transportation and race/ethnicity controlling for covariates.

RESULTS

Persons with T2DM (n = 24,964) who identified as Black (adjusted odds ratio (AOR) = 1.42 (95% confidence interval (CI) = 1.10, 1.84), AI/AN (AOR = 2.03 (95% CI = 1.22, 3.36), or multi-racial (AOR = 1.99 (95% CI = 1.18, 3.5) were significantly more likely to indicate they did not have reliable access to transportation in the past year compared to whites. Persons who were females, older, married, had higher income, employed, no mobility issues, no depression, and rated their health status fair to very good were significantly less likely to report transportation issues.

CONCLUSIONS

Access to reliable transportation may differ by race/ethnicity among persons with T2DM. Initiatives are needed to improve racially/ethnically equitable access to transportation for people with T2DM.