Exploring the social and neighbourhood predictors of diabetes: a comparison between Toronto and Chicago.

OBJECTIVES: This report examined the impact and extent that spatial access to primary care physicians (PCPs) and social neighbourhood-/community-level factors have on diabetes prevalence for Toronto and Chicago.

METHODS: The two-step floating catchment area method was used to compute spatial access scores. Bivariate correlation and multivariate linear regression identified the factors that were associated with, and/or predicted, diabetes prevalence.

RESULTS: Potential spatial access to PCPs had no strong associations with diabetes prevalence. Low socio-economic status factors and certain ethnic groups were strongly associated with diabetes prevalence for both cities. For Toronto, South American place of birth, households below poverty and high school-level education predicted diabetes prevalence. African ethnicity and households below poverty predicted diabetes prevalence for Chicago.

CONCLUSION: Although this report found no strong association between diabetes prevalence and access to PCPs, contextual factors significant in past individual-level diabetes studies were associated with diabetes prevalence at the neighbourhood/community level for Toronto and Chicago.