Multidimensional Approaches to Understanding Structural Racism’s Impact on Type 1 Diabetes

Among youth with type 1 diabetes (T1D) in the United States, race, a social construct that often reflects the consequences of living within a society that allows for the inequitable distribution of resources and unequal treatment within systems (ie, education, criminal justice, and health care) because of an individual’s appearance, is strongly associated with glycemic control. Although individual-level educational interventions are a common approach used to improve glycemic outcomes, they are often insufficient because of their inability to address the important role of patients’ social environments, a factor especially critical for individuals racialized as Black. As demonstrated by Ellis et al¹  in this issue of Pediatrics, one form of structural racism, racial residential segregation (RRS), adversely affects glycemic outcomes for Black children with T1D. Structural racism is a fundamental cause of health inequities.^1,2  Ellis et al¹  provide evidence that suggests that RRS, independent of...