The emerging adulthood gap in diabetes prevention research

Abstract

Emerging adulthood, the period between ages 18 and 25, is distinct from older and younger populations in terms of both physiology and social circumstances. As a critical developmental window with long-lasting repercussions, emerging adulthood presents a key opportunity for prevention of cardiovascular disease. Despite significant advances in diabetes and cardiovascular disease prevention for other age groups, 18-25 year-olds remain underrepresented in research. Using diabetes prevention as an example, we analyzed the cited evidence behind four major guidelines that influence US clinical practice on screening and management of prediabetes in children and adults, revealing that the majority of these studies in both the pediatric and adult literature do not include emerging adults in their study populations. This gap between the pediatric and adult diabetes prevention literature creates a missing link connecting childhood risks to adult chronic disease. In this article, we draw attention to this often overlooked age group, and provide tangible recommendations as a path forward for both pediatric and adult researchers to increase the representation of emerging adults in diabetes prevention and other cardiovascular disease prevention studies.

Keywords: Adolescent and young adult; Age representation in research; Cardiovascular disease prevention; Diabetes prevention; Emerging adulthood; Research design.

Fig. 1

Percentage of pediatric and adult studies cited in major diabetes prevention guidelines containing each age within their study population. Overall sample of 209 articles included n = 94 adult and n = 115 pediatric studies. Figure excludes articles not reporting age range of study population (12%, n = 25).