The cost of a healthier diet for young children with type 1 diabetes mellitus

OBJECTIVE: This study used a market-basket approach to examine the availability and cost of a standard food shopping list (R-TFP) vs a healthier food shopping list (H-TFP) in the grocery stores used by a sample of 23 families of young children with type 1 diabetes mellitus (T1DM). METHODS: The researchers used frequency counts to measure availability. The average cost of the R-TFP and H-TFP was compared using paired t test. RESULTS: Small or independent markets had the highest percentage of missing foods (14%), followed by chain supermarkets (3%) and big box stores (2%). There was a significant difference in average cost for the R-TFP vs the H-TFP ($324.71 and $380.07, respectively; P <.001). CONCLUSIONS AND IMPLICATIONS: Families may encounter problems finding healthier foods and/or incur greater costs for healthier foods. Nutrition education programs for T1DM need to teach problem solving to help families overcome these barriers.