Relationship between social determinants of health and quality of life in low income adults with diabetes in Lebanon.

Background & objective: Global rates of type 2 diabetes (T2DM) are increasing, with the Middle East and North Africa (MENA) region having the second highest prevalence in the world. Populations from the MENA region, including Lebanon, are also witnessing massive waves of immigration to the western hemisphere. Limited data exist about how social determinants of health (SDOH) impact outcomes for T2DM in this population. Thus, the aim of this study was to assess the relationship between SDOH and quality of life (QoL) in Lebanese adults with T2DM.

Methods: Adults with T2DM (n = 300) were recruited from primary healthcare centers in Lebanon. Demographic characteristics and WHO QoL domains (physical health, psychological wellbeing, social relationships, and environment) were assessed. SDOH included socioeconomic, neighborhood/built environment, and psychosocial variables. Partially and fully adjusted regression models were used to test for associations between SDOH and QoL domains.

Results: Mean age of the participants was 60.3 years, 48% were women, 73% were married, and 64% had less than high-school education. Results from the fully adjusted regression models showed that psychosocial (i.e. adverse childhood experiences and depression), socioeconomic (i.e. employment, income, family size, insurance, financial status, and financial independence), and neighborhood/built environment (i.e. transportation, number of rooms in the household, and certain household items) variables were independent correlates of different QoL domains.

Conclusions: This study shows that psychosocial, socioeconomic, and neighborhood/built environment variables are differentially associated with different QoL domains, suggesting that SDOH factors are strongly associated with quality of life in low-income adults with T2DM in Lebanon.