Is Your Niece or Nephew Getting the Latest Diabetes Care?
Written By Savvy Auntie Staff Writers
By Jaime Herndon
The treatment of Type 1 diabetes has evolved and improved over the years, but not everyone is getting appropriate treatment for the condition. A new study, published in Pediatrics, found that Black children with Type 1 diabetes were half as likely to get treatment with an insulin pump as white children were – even when factors like health insurance and socioeconomic status were accounted for. Hispanic children were also less likely to receive insulin pump treatment than white children.
Two-thirds of white children who needed insulin pumps were on them; this is compared to 26% of Black children, and a little more than one-third of Hispanic children. This problem is compounded when taking into consideration that there were also racial differences in the hemoglobin A1c levels, which estimates blood sugar levels. White children had an average level 8.4%, Black children had an average of 9.6%, and Hispanic children had an average level of 8.7%. For children, it should be no more than 7.5%. It wasn’t clear what the barrier was that prevented Black and Hispanic children from receiving treatment at the same rate as white children, but education might be an issue – educating families and communities.
If your niece or nephew has Type 1 diabetes, or may be at risk, it can be beneficial to talk with their parents about whether they’re on an insulin pump, which can be an easier alternative to daily injections.
Photo Praisaeng
Published: February 24, 2015