Is Food Insecurity Associated with Elevated Glycosylated Hemoglobin among Adults Diagnosed with Type 2 Diabetes Mellitus in Malawi?

This study assessed food insecurity and its associations with glycosylated hemoglobin (A1C) among adults diagnosed with type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM) in Malawi. A cross-sectional study (n = 428) was conducted in two government hospitals targeting adults with T2DM. Findings show that 40.4% were moderately-to-severely food insecure with a mean A1C of 9.7 +/- 2.8%. Food insecurity was positively associated with A1C (p = .011), and negatively with dietary diversity (p = .015). These findings suggest that individuals with T2DM are at greater risk for food insecurity juxtaposed with elevated A1C, which warrants focusing efforts on both sustainable food security programs and nutrition education in diabetes care in Malawi.