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ORIGINAL RESEARCH article

Front. Public Health

Sec. Life-Course Epidemiology and Social Inequalities in Health

Volume 13 - 2025 | doi: 10.3389/fpubh.2025.1655035

This article is part of the Research TopicPerceptions of Diabetes Across LifespanView all 4 articles

Socioeconomic and health disparities in adults diagnosed with type 1 diabetes mellitus before age 18: insights from the Italian PASSI surveillance system

Provisionally accepted
Giulia  ZamagniGiulia Zamagni1*Valentina  MinardiValentina Minardi2Maria  MasoccoMaria Masocco2Federica  AstaFederica Asta2Riccardo  CandidoRiccardo Candido3Gianluca  TorneseGianluca Tornese3Giulia  BrescianiGiulia Bresciani1Valentina  ManfrediniValentina Manfredini3Elena  FrattolinElena Frattolin4Claudia  Veronica CarlettiClaudia Veronica Carletti1Daniela  GermanoDaniela Germano5Eleonora  MaurelEleonora Maurel1Luca  RonfaniLuca Ronfani1Lorenzo  MonastaLorenzo Monasta1
  • 1Institute for Maternal and Child Health Burlo Garofolo (IRCCS), Trieste, Italy
  • 2National Center for Disease Prevention and Health Promotion, Italian National Institute of Health, Rome, Italy
  • 3Department of Medical Surgical and Health Sciences, University of Trieste, Trieste, Italy
  • 4Friuli-Venezia Giulia Regional Coordination of Associations of People Living with Diabetes, Trieste, Italy
  • 5Friuli-Venezia Giulia Regional Center PASSI Surveillance System - ASUGI, Trieste, Italy

The final, formatted version of the article will be published soon.

Background Type 1 diabetes mellitus is a lifelong condition with consequences that extend well beyond glycaemic control, often impacting individuals' socioeconomic status and overall quality of life. In Italy, the broader effects of early-onset type 1 diabetes on social and health-related outcomes have been insufficiently investigated. Therefore, this study aimed to investigate the socioeconomic impacts of type 1 diabetes among adults diagnosed with the condition before age 18. Methods Using data from the Italian Behavioural Risk Factor Surveillance System (PASSI) collected between 2011–2018 and in 2023, we analysed key outcomes in adults aged 18–50 who were diagnosed with type 1 diabetes before age 18 and were on insulin therapy. Each case was matched by age and sex to two non-diabetic controls. Descriptive statistics and multivariable logistic regression were used to compare key indicators. Results Our sample included 993 participants (331 cases and 662 controls). Cases had significantly higher odds of being unemployed (OR = 1.57 [1.20–2.07]), experiencing severe financial difficulties (OR = 1.81 [1.05–3.13]), and reporting poor self-rated health (OR = 6.64 [2.53– 17.43]). Cases also had an increased likelihood of reporting physical impairment for 1–13 days (OR = 1.91 [1.30–2.81]) and ≥14 days (OR = 2.95 [1.54–5.65]), mental health impairment for 1–13 days (OR = 2.16 [1.46–3.19]), and daily activity limitations for 1–13 days (OR = 1.73 [1.06–2.82]). Conclusions These findings highlight the multifaceted burden of type 1 diabetes and the need for integrated approaches to care that address not only clinical but also socioeconomic and psychosocial dimensions of the disease.

Keywords: Public Health, Socioeconomic inequalities, Health inequalites, Type 1 diabetes mellitus, Quality of Life

Received: 27 Jun 2025; Accepted: 29 Aug 2025.

Copyright: © 2025 Zamagni, Minardi, Masocco, Asta, Candido, Tornese, Bresciani, Manfredini, Frattolin, Carletti, Germano, Maurel, Ronfani and Monasta. This is an open-access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (CC BY). The use, distribution or reproduction in other forums is permitted, provided the original author(s) or licensor are credited and that the original publication in this journal is cited, in accordance with accepted academic practice. No use, distribution or reproduction is permitted which does not comply with these terms.

* Correspondence: Giulia Zamagni, Institute for Maternal and Child Health Burlo Garofolo (IRCCS), Trieste, Italy

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