A comparison of glycemic control in single mothers and partnered mothers with diabetes: Findings from the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey III

Objectives: Numerous studies have demonstrated the association between family status and glycemic control in diabetic youth, yet there is a paucity of literature examining the impact of family status on glycemic control in diabetic mothers. Hence, we examined the association between family status and glycemic control in diabetic mothers. Methods: The National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey III, NHANES III, was used to obtain a national sample of single and partnered diabetic mothers. Multivariate linear regression was utilized to evaluate the relationship between family status and glycemic control as measured by Hemoglobin A1C after adjusting for potential confounders. Results: The weighted sample consisted of 1,259,844 mothers with diabetes.. In unadjusted analysis, the average Hemoglobin A1C was slightly higher for single mothers (6.91) when compared to coupled mothers (6.50), however this value was not statistically significant (p=0.664). In multivariate models controlling for factors such as education, race, income, number of children, and insurance status, the Hemoglobin A1C of single mothers was not significantly different than that seen in coupled mothers (p= 0.6729). Conclusions: The difference in glycemic control between single and partnered mothers does not differ by an appreciable amount.