Overview
The development of type 2 diabetes in children and adolescents is a growing public health concern, especially among youth who already show signs of prediabetes. Prediabetes means blood sugar levels are higher than normal, but not yet high enough to meet the criteria for diabetes. Because many young people with prediabetes do not all progress at the same rate, clinicians need better tools to identify which patients are at highest risk and may benefit from closer follow-up and early intervention.
This study examined whether adding the Area Deprivation Index, or ADI, could improve prediction of type 2 diabetes development in youth with prediabetes. The ADI is a neighborhood-based measure of socioeconomic disadvantage that reflects factors such as income, education, employment, housing quality, and access to resources. It is based on a patient’s residential census block and is used to estimate the broader social conditions that may affect health.
