Association between food insecurity and diabetes complications

Introduction: Diabetes is a diet-sensitive condition whose proper management is dependent upon the to access healthy foods. Although studies have confirmed the association between food insecurity and the risk of diabetes, little is known about the association between food insecurity and diabetes complications. The purpose of this research is to determine if low-income food insecure individuals with diabetes are more likely to experience cardiovascular disease and kidney disease than low-income food secure individuals with diabetes. Methods: We will analyze six waves of data (1999-2010) from the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey. Bivariate and multivariate logistic regression models will be used to ascertain the association between food insecurity and cardiovascular disease and kidney disease. The models will be adjusted to account for covariates such as age, gender, education, BMI, hyperglycemia, hypercholesterolemia, hypertension, obesity, smoking, duration of diabetes and insulin use. Chi-square analysis will be conducted to determine any linear trends in the model. Two-way interactions between food insecurity and all other covariates will be tested individually. Results: Detailed results will be presented to determine if there is a significant difference in the prevalence of cardiovascular disease and kidney disease between low-income food secure and insecure individuals with diabetes. Discussion: The results could help inform the design of diabetes management strategies for low-income populations. The study results may also help to facilitate discussions on the role of food safety net programs in the prevention and management of chronic disease. evention and management of chronic disease.