Introduction and Objective: College education is consistently associated with lower prevalence of diabetes, yet this protective effect may not operate uniformly across racial groups. Minorities’ Diminished Returns theory posits that education yields smaller health returns for Black people due to structural barriers including employment discrimination, residential segregation, and differential healthcare access.Methods: Using 2024 Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System data, we analyzed 81,667 men aged 60 and older (5,080 Black men; 76,607 White men). Race-stratified logistic regression models examined associations between educational attainment (operationalized as college degree vs. no college degree) and self-reported diabetes diagnosis, adjusting for age, employment, marital status, smoking, and BMI. A pooled model with a race × education interaction term tested whether any protective effect of education on diabetes differed by race.Results: For Black men, the association between college education and diabetes was attenuated and not significant (OR=0.93, 95% CI [0.79, 1.10], p=.386). In contrast, college education was significantly protective against diabetes for White men (OR=0.74, 95% CI [0.69, 0.79], p<.001), representing a 26% reduction in odds compared to those who did not attend college. The race × college interaction was significant (OR=1.24, p=.001), confirming that education’s protective effect differed by race.Conclusion: College education does not confer significant protection against diabetes for older Black men, but it does for older White men. These findings extend Minorities’ Diminished Returns theory to diabetes among older Black men.
C. Perryman: None.
NIDDK, NIH (1T32DK138883-01A1)
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