Hispanic, Black non-Hispanic, White non-Hispanic adults more likely to use GLP-1 RA injectables than Asian non-Hispanics
By Elana Gotkine HealthDay Reporter
THURSDAY, Aug. 14, 2025 (HealthDay News) — In 2024, 26.5 percent of adults with diagnosed diabetes used glucagon-like peptide 1 receptor agonist (GLP-1 RA) injectables, according to an August data brief published by the National Center for Health Statistics.
Anjel Vahratian, Ph.D., M.P.H., and Antonia Warren, from the National Center for Health Statistics in Hyattsville, Maryland, describe the percentage of adults with diagnosed diabetes who were taking an injectable GLP-1 RA medication based on data from the 2024 National Health Interview Survey.
The researchers found that the percentage of adults with diagnosed diabetes who used GLP-1 RA injectables was 26.5 percent in 2024; use increased with age, from 25.3 percent among adults ages 18 to 34 years to 33.3 percent among those aged 50 to 64 years, and then decreased to 20.8 percent among those aged 65 years and older. Compared with Asian non-Hispanic adults with diagnosed diabetes, Hispanic, Black non-Hispanic, and White non-Hispanic adults with diagnosed diabetes were more likely to use GLP-1 RA injectables (31.3, 26.5, and 26.2 percent, respectively, versus 12.1 percent). Among those with greater body mass index, GLP-1 RA injectable use was higher. Among adults with diagnosed diabetes, the likelihood of using GLP-1 RA injectables was higher for those who took insulin or oral glucose-lowering medications versus those who did not (31.3 and 28.1 percent, respectively, versus 24.5 and 22.2 percent, respectively).
“An analysis of data from the Medical Expenditure Panel Survey showed a 155 percent increase in the percentage of adults with type 2 diabetes who used GLP-1 injectables from 2018 (7.6 percent) to 2022 (19.4 percent),” the authors write.
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