Food Insecurity Linked to Greater Diabetes Distress

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Food Insecurity Linked to Greater Diabetes Distress

People without reliable access to nutritious foods — those experiencing food insecurity — are more likely to report feeling distressed about their prediabetes or diabetes, according to a new study presented at Nutrition 2022 Live Online, the annual conference of the American Society for Nutrition, and described in a press release from the organization.

Food insecurity isn’t a widely discussed problem in the context of diabetes, but there is evidence to suggest that addressing it more effectively could improve diabetes outcomes. After all, it has been shown that certain unhealthy dietary patterns — such as not consuming enough whole grains and drinking sugar-sweetened beverages — contribute to the risk of developing type 2 diabetes, and food insecurity can contribute to unhealthy eating patterns. One recent study showed that in a nationally representative sample of U.S. adults with diabetes, nearly 20% experienced food insecurity — and food insecurity was even more closely linked to a higher A1C level (a measure of long-term blood glucose control) than a poor diet quality was linked to this measure.

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For the latest study, researchers used a national web-based survey of low-income adults in the United States to look at the relationship between food insecurity and distress related to prediabetes or diabetes. The survey used well-established methods of calculating both food insecurity and prediabetes or diabetes distress — the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) Household Food Security Module and the Diabetes Distress Scale, both of which use standardized questions and scoring systems.

Food insecurity associated with diabetes distress

Among the 1,756 survey respondents, 58.4% reported little or no distress related to their prediabetes or diabetes, while 15.7% reported moderate distress and 25.9% reported a high level of distress. But among respondents with food insecurity, the distress profile looked worse — 43.3% reported a high level of prediabetes or diabetes distress, and 23.3% reported a moderate level of distress. For respondents without food insecurity, only 13.5% reported a high level of distress, and 11.9% reported a moderate level of distress related to prediabetes or diabetes.

When it came to specific areas of prediabetes or diabetes distress, the impact of food insecurity was also clear. An astounding 70.4% of respondents with food insecurity scored at a high or moderate level when it came to the “emotional burden” of having prediabetes or diabetes, compared with 27.7% of respondents without food insecurity. While 71.4% of respondents with food insecurity scored high or moderate in the area of their prediabetes or diabetes treatment regimen causing them distress, only 34.7% of respondents without food insecurity scored at these levels. And 57.4% of respondents with food insecurity had high or moderate distress related to seeing their doctor, compared with just 17.1% of respondents without food insecurity.

The researchers noted that the survey was conducted during the height of the COVID-19 pandemic, which was part of the reason for conducting it in the first place — the pandemic has had a harmful effect on problems like food insecurity and diabetes distress. “Healthcare providers should screen for [diabetes distress] and connect patients to resources to help manage their food and mental health needs,” the researchers urged in light of these findings.

Want to learn more about food insecurity and resources for affording food? Read “Six Ways to Save Money on Groceries” and “Resources for Affording Food.” 

Quinn Phillips

Quinn Phillips

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A freelance health writer and editor based in Wisconsin, Phillips has a degree from Harvard University. He is a former Editorial Assistant for Diabetes Self-Management and has years of experience covering diabetes and related health conditions. Phillips writes on a variety of topics, but is especially interested in the intersection of health and public policy.

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