Research shows that social determinants of health significantly impact disparities in cardiometabolic diseases, like diabetes, but most of this research does not examine positive determinants. Chen et al. in JAMA Network Open analyzed whether volunteering, as a positive determinant, is associated with metabolic syndrome and diabetes across two different samples of Black adolescents from low-income backgrounds. The second sample consisted of nationally representative data from the National Longitudinal Study of Adolescent to Adult Health (Add Health), across Wave III and VI between 1994 and 2008. Volunteering was assessed using a binary response on if they regularly participated in volunteer or community service work. Diabetes was assessed using blood spots collected.
The findings of roughly 1,000 Black adolescents revealed that those who volunteered as adolescents had lower odds of developing diabetes in adulthood. Overall, the study reveals that positive aspects of social determinants of health, like volunteering, are critical in health disparity outcomes. This study prompts further research on the role of volunteering and its positive outcomes for both the recipients of these efforts and the volunteers themselves
To read the full article, click the link below. For more important findings using Add Health data, visit the Add Health publications page.
Chen E, Germer S, Moon H, Dezil J, Hayen R, Yu T. Volunteering and Metabolic Syndrome and Diabetes in Black Adolescents From Low-Income Families. JAMA Network Open. Published online January 12, 2026.