As November marks the start of American Diabetes Month®, it’s important to be aware of its growing prevalence in urban areas. Historically, people living in rural America are 17% more likely to have diabetes and 16% less likely to have adequately controlled diabetes, according to the American Diabetes Association. But in urban locations, the number of individuals with diabetes has been growing. In a study published in PubMed in May 2024, the prevalence of diabetes was higher in urban areas (17.9%) than in rural areas (9.5%). While the prevalence of diabetes can vary from city to city, studies have overall found that urban areas are growing to a larger share of the global diabetes population. This rise is due to factors like sedentary lifestyles, obesity, and a lack of healthy food options that have contributed to this rise. In a study published in the National Institutes of Health, the shifting American diet in urban areas towards more processed, sugary, and high-fat foods while reducing the overall intake of whole grains, fruits, and vegetables has led to an increasing risk of diabetes. Researchers are now calling this shift the “epidemic of diabetes”.
But recent economic tensions have also contributed to this rise. In a study published in Northwell Health, “The price of healthy foods has surged. One study from the University of Warwick found that Americans pay 40% more for fruits and vegetables due to enormous fixed costs in supplying them to markets, resulting in less consumption of these healthier foods. A 2022 national survey found that the perceived high cost of healthy food was the biggest barrier to a healthier diet, with nearly half (46%) of respondents saying so.” This disproportionately affects individuals of color and low incomes, in turn causing them to consume a poor diet, which then leads to health issues. Inflation and market uncertainty have not helped this either, and the temporary pausing of SNAP benefits also added to the market tension.
Unfortunately, health resources are not distributed equally, and some even perpetuate general cycles of bad health. Unfortunately, cities like San Antonio have some of the highest rates of diabetes due to the lack of healthy food that comes with living in an urban location. Policymakers and more governmental effort need to be made to eliminate these systemic barriers to proper health. The right to adequate food is a 1948 Universal Declaration of Human Rights, so we should take more efforts as a society to uphold it.
