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OBJECTIVE We examined whether relative availability of fast-food restaurants and supermarkets mediates the association between worse neighborhood socioeconomic conditions and risk of developing type 2 diabetes (T2D). RESEARCH DESIGN AND METHODS As part of the Diabetes Location, Environmental Attributes, and Disparities Network, three academic institutions used harmonized environmental data sources and analytic methods in three distinct study samples: 1) the Veterans Administration Diabetes Risk (VADR) cohort, a national administrative cohort of 4.1 million diabetes-free veterans developed using electronic health records (EHRs); 2) Reasons for Geographic and Racial Differences in Stroke (REGARDS), a longitudinal, epidemiologic cohort with Stroke Belt region oversampling (N = 11,208); and 3) Geisinger/Johns Hopkins University (G/JHU), an EHR-based, nested case-control study of 15,888 patients with new-onset T2D and of matched control participants in Pennsylvania. A census tract–level measure of neighborhood socioeconomic environment (NSEE) was developed as a community type-specific z-score sum. Baseline food-environment mediators included percentages of 1) fast-food restaurants and 2) food retail establishments that are supermarkets. Natural direct and indirect mediating effects were modeled; results were stratified across four community types: higher-density urban, lower-density urban, suburban/small town, and rural. RESULTS Across studies, worse NSEE was associated with higher T2D risk. In VADR, relative availability of fast-food restaurants and supermarkets was positively and negatively associated with T2D, respectively, whereas associations in REGARDS and G/JHU geographies were mixed. Mediation results suggested that little to none of the NSEE–diabetes associations were mediated through food-environment pathways. CONCLUSIONS Worse neighborhood socioeconomic conditions were associated with higher T2D risk, yet associations are likely not mediated through food-environment pathways.

Background: Cost-related medication nonadherence (CRMN) occurs when an individual takes less medication than what is prescribed due to difficulty affording their medications. In adults with diabetes, medication nonadherence is associated with worse glycemic control and increased healthcare costs. The goal of this study was to determine what proportion of Alabama’s Medicaid population with diabetes experiences CRMN and to evaluate for potential risk factors for CRMN in this financially-at-risk population. Methods: We conducted a cross-sectional study surveying a population-based sample of adults (ages 19-64) with diabetes covered by Alabama Medicaid. We classified participants as experiencing CRMN if they responded yes to “Not including over the counter medications, was there a time in the past 12 months when you didn't take your medication as prescribed because of cost?” Using multivariable logistic regression, we examined what variables were associated with CRMN adjusting for demographic and clinical factors (insulin use, diabetes duration, receipt of care coordination, and self-rated health) . Results: We included 1893 of 2235 (84.7%) participants who completed the survey and had complete data for the variables of interest in the analysis. This sample was predominantly nonwhite (60.7%) , female (73.9%) with a mean age of 52 ±10.1 years. Overall, 23.7% of participants reported CRMN. In the fully adjusted model, insulin use (OR 1.41, 95% CI 1.11, 1.79) , use of a discount prescription plan (OR 1.55, 95% CI 1.20, 2.00) , and self-report of poor health (OR 1.67, 95% CI 1.33, 2.09) were significantly associated with CRMN. Conclusion: We found that almost a quarter of a population-based sample of adults with diabetes covered by Alabama Medicaid experienced cost-related medication nonadherence. More research is needed to determine how to address this among this vulnerable population. Disclosure E.C.Ness: None. L.Juarez: None. C.R.Howell: None. L.Hohmann: None. A.Cherrington: Consultant; Bayer AG, Other Relationship; Novo Nordisk. C.A.Presley: None. Funding National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases (R18DK109501) UAB Diabetes Research Center (P30 DK079626)