Introduction Although screening for diabetes is recommended at age 45, some populations may be at greater risk at earlier ages. Our objective was to quantify age disparities among patients with type 2 diabetes in New York City. Methods Using all-payer hospital claims data for New York City, we performed a cross-sectional analysis of patients with type 2 diabetes identified from emergency department visits during the 5-year period 2011–2015. We estimated type 2 diabetes prevalence at each year of life, the age distribution of patients stratified by decade, and the average age of patients by sex, race/ethnicity, and geographic location. Results We identified 576,306 unique patients with type 2 diabetes. These patients represented more than half of all people with type 2 diabetes in New York City. Patients in racial/ethnic minority groups were on average 5.5 to 8.4 years younger than non-Hispanic white patients. At age 45, type 2 diabetes prevalence was 10.9% among non-Hispanic black patients and 5.2% among non-Hispanic white patients. In our geospatial analyses, patients with type 2 diabetes were on average 6 years younger in hotspots of diabetes-related emergency department use and inpatient hospitalizations. The average age of patients with type 2 diabetes was also 1 to 2 years younger in hotspots of microvascular diabetic complications. Conclusion We identified profound age disparities among patients with type 2 diabetes in racial/ethnic minority groups and in neighborhoods with poor health outcomes. The younger age of these patients may be due to earlier onset of diabetes and/or earlier death from diabetic complications. Our findings demonstrate the need for geographically targeted interventions that promote earlier diagnosis and better glycemic control.

ObjectivesSome of the most pressing health problems are found in rural America. However, the surveillance needed to track and prevent disease in these regions is lacking. Our objective was to perform a comprehensive health survey of a single rural county to assess the validity of using emergency claims data to estimate rural disease prevalence at a sub-county level.DesignWe performed a cross-sectional study of chronic disease prevalence estimates using emergency department (ED) claims data versus mailed health surveys designed to capture a substantial proportion of residents in New York’s rural Sullivan County.SettingSullivan County, a rural county ranked second-to-last for health outcomes in New York State.ParticipantsAdult residents of Sullivan County aged 25 years and older who responded to the health survey in 2017–2018 or had at least one ED visit in 2011–2015.Outcome measuresWe compared age and gender-adjusted prevalence of hypertension, hyperlipidaemia, diabetes, cancer, asthma and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease/emphysema among nine sub-county areas.ResultsOur county-wide mailed survey obtained 6675 completed responses for a response rate of 30.4%. This sample represented more than 12% of the estimated 53 020 adults in Sullivan County. Using emergency claims data, we identified 34 576 adults from Sullivan County who visited an ED at least once during 2011–2015. At a sub-county level, prevalence estimates from mailed surveys and emergency claims data correlated especially well for diabetes (r=0.90) and asthma (r=0.85). Other conditions were not well correlated (range: 0.23–0.46). Using emergency claims data, we created more geographically detailed maps of disease prevalence using geocoded addresses.ConclusionsFor select conditions, emergency claims data may be useful for tracking disease prevalence in rural areas and providing more geographically detailed estimates. For rural regions lacking robust health surveillance, emergency claims data can inform how to geographically target efforts to prevent chronic disease.