Inequalities in adherence to the diabetes guidelines in the migrant population at the regional level

Abstract

The present retrospective cohort study analyses adherence to diabetes management guidelines among Italian and foreign-born patients using regional health administrative data. The study includes individuals diagnosed with type 1 or type 2 diabetes in 2018 (ages 18–100) and evaluates adherence over a one-year follow-up using two process indicators: receipt of essential screenings and specialist visits. Only migrants from High Migration Pressure Countries (HMPCs) were analyzed. To ensure comparability, propensity score matching and inverse probability weighting were applied. Findings indicate that HMPC migrants were less likely than Italians to receive care or visit specialists, possibly due to socio-economic and linguistic barriers.