Equitable Management of Type 2 Diabetes in American Indian and Alaska Native Adults

Prior to the 1940s, type 2 diabetes was considered a rare disease in American Indian and Alaska Native (AI/AN) individuals. However, because of multiple complex factors, it rapidly progressed and became endemic within a matter of decades. Despite community-led interventions to prevent diabetes onset and progression, AI/AN individuals are disproportionately affected by diabetes and remain grossly underrepresented in diabetes treatment research. To provide equitable health care for AI/ANs with diabetes, clinicians should develop an understanding of important socioeconomic and environmental factors that influence health outcomes.