Chapter 1: Multidisciplinary Support for Diverse Youth Managing Type 2 Diabetes

Type 2 diabetes (T2D) is the most common form of diabetes (American Diabetes Association [ADA], 2021; Mayo Foundation for Medical Education and Research [Mayo Clinic], 2021). In the last two decades, rates of pediatric T2D in the United States have risen dramatically (4.8% increase per year), with a disproportionate impact on racial/ethnic minority and low-income populations (e.g., Briggs et al., 2021; Centers for Disease Control and Prevention [CDC], 2020; Hill-Golden et al., 2012; Lawrence et al., 2021). From 2001 to 2017, the greatest increase in youth T2D cases occurred among non-Hispanic Black and Hispanic youth, and the highest number of youths living with T2D were youth who identified as non-Hispanic Black and American Indian (Lawrence et al., 2021). To promote health equity and provide effective, comprehensive, culturally-responsive care for children and adolescents managing T2D, it is critical to attend to intersectional social identities. Disparities in economic and social conditions (e.g., racism, inequality, injustice) influence individual and group differences in health outcomes; for youth managing T2D, this often includes a variety of risk and protective factors related to the illness itself, the child, or the family (DeMaso et al., 2009). From a risk-and-resilience perspective, dynamic systems of supports could significantly mitigate the effects of individual vulnerabilities (e.g., genetic predisposition) and environmental risk factors, and increase the chance for healthy development and adaptation (e.g., Cicchetti, 2006; Masten, 2013; Rutter & Sroufe, 2000).