Poverty creates food insecurity for children with diabetes increasing hospitalization
High rates of food insecurity for families of children with diabetes: study
December 2, 2010 - Alison Auld, The Canadian Press
HALIFAX - A unique study in Nova Scotia shows that families with children who have diabetes may not be able to provide enough safe, nutritious food, largely because of the high cost of medical supplies associated with the disease.
The research by a doctor at the IWK Health Centre in Halifax shows that 22 per cent of the families surveyed in Nova Scotia were deemed to be what researchers call food-insecure because they had to pay for testing equipment, syringes and other diabetic supplies.
Elizabeth Cummings, a pediatric endocrinologist who conducted the survey, said the data indicates those costs are putting a financial strain on families and causing some to scrimp on food or make unhealthy choices.
In turn, that's leading to poor diabetic control and greater hospitalizations for children in food-insecure homes.
Cummings said children from food-insecure homes were almost four times more likely to have been admitted to hospital in the past year for something related to their diabetes compared with those from food-secure homes.
"These families are having a big struggle being able to support their child well in terms of managing the diabetes and feeding them," she said Wednesday, a day before the study was to be published in the Journal of Pediatrics.
"So, they're making some hard choices."
The study, conducted last year at the IWK and a health centre in Sydney, N.S., surveyed 183 families with children under 18 who have diabetes.
Some family members were found to be eating less so that the diabetic child could have more food. The study also found that sometimes there wasn't enough food because medical supplies ate up too much of a family's budget.
Many families that participated in the survey said they often couldn't afford balanced meals.
Cummings said a home is considered to be food-secure when "all members have access to food that is safe and varied enough to meet their nutritional needs.
"Families who are hungry, who use food banks or food stamps, or those who worry about affording food are considered food-insecure," she said.
Eating properly and testing blood sugar levels four to six times a day are key to managing the chronic condition, which can cause blindness, circulatory problems and renal failure if not controlled.
The study indicated that children from food-insecure families had higher levels of sugar in their blood, which can lead to complications if it persists.
Cummings said the province pays for some supplies for low-income families, but it's not enough to cover all the costs of syringes, insulin, testing strips and swabs.
Families that were considered to be food-secure had a drug plan that covered the bulk of their medical expenses. But low-income families were paying $89 a month for supplies that Cummings said could have been spent on food.
"Although we do have safety nets and help for families, sometimes it's just not enough," she said. "We need to look at how we're doing that."
Cummings said increased financial support could lead to better control for diabetics and reduce the number of hospitalizations.
The Canadian Community Health Survey found in 2004 that 14 per cent of Nova Scotians and nine per cent of Canadians were considered food-insecure — far lower than the 22 per cent of diabetic families that Cummings said do not have food-security.