The population of the United Stated has drastically changed where immigrants accounts for more than 43.3 million (13.5%) of the total US population. By the year 2050 the influx of immigrants will account for 48% of the US population. With the influx of immigrants there is also an influx of chronic diseases.
According to the Centers for Diseases and Prevention there are 30.3 million Americans and of those 9.4% (1.25 million) of the population have diabetes. In addition, it was reported there are 1.5 million new cases of diabetes and 79, 535 deaths due to diabetes complications in the United States.
The rates of diabetes are increasing amongst immigrant population, especially type 2 diabetes due to acculturation, environmental transition and economic status. Moreover, undocumented and documented immigrants, specifically Hispanics are at risk for the T2D comorbidities such as cardiovascular diseases and other respiratory infections.
A systematic review was conducted to examine immigrant’s socio-characteristics and factors that attributes to the rise of diabetes. Results indicated immigrants had high rates of diabetes and obesity compared to their US counterparts after acculturating into the United States more than 10-15 years.
Moreover, immigrants lack the economic means, and the language proficiencies needed to advocate for their healthcare and preventive health services. Lastly, future studies and data will examine the impact of the Affordable Care Act on decreasing the rate of diabetes amongst immigrant populations due to having access to healthcare and improving health outcome.
Migration Policy Institute in 2015. Retrieved on January 1st, 2018 from
