Disparities in the Diabetes Journey for Women: A Call for Health Equity

As most of us in healthcare know, disease impacts people differently based on social drivers of health—non-medical factors and social forces that influence health outcomes. Thankfully, research practices have been steadily adapting to capture these nuances and come up with better ways to promote healthy living. However, there’s still more work to be done when it comes to one of the most prevalent and costly chronic conditions in the U.S.—diabetes.

Over 15 million women in the U.S. currently have diabetes and that number will likely continue to grow. While there is a higher prevalence of type 2 diabetes in men than women, there are ways diabetes affects women more severely that cannot be overlooked.

The lack of research contributes to women not getting the same level of preventive care as men to effectively manage diabetes risk factors.

For instance, women have particular risk factors, present different symptoms, and tend to have more complications once diagnosed than men. The disparity in health outcomes is even more pronounced when we consider differences among women such as race, class, and education that shape an individual’s healthcare journey.

Doubling investments in women’s health research can yield up to

174,000% ROI

As an industry leader in science-based diabetes care, Omada continues to follow the research, which consistently shows us that women have higher diabetic-related death rates than men and face unique obstacles to getting care.

Omada supports women as they navigate their diabetes care by:

Tailoring our organization and clinical programs to the needs of the various subsets within our patient population.

Identifying care barriers and complexities in our members’ paths

Weaving behavioral health support into our diabetes program.

Adding physical therapy to our suite of solutions.

Investing in and creating solutions that are inclusive, rigorous, and based on the best science.

To tackle this disparity head-on, we need to better understand why women experience diabetes differently and explore new avenues for helping women access the high-quality care they need.

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