Disaster preparedness in pediatric type 1 diabetes mellitus.
OBJECTIVE
The goal was to assess emergency preparedness among families caring for children with type 1 diabetes mellitus.


METHODS
A total of 115 English-speaking families caring for children with type 1 diabetes mellitus who were attending the diabetes clinic at Texas Children's Hospital agreed to a questionnaire study designed to ascertain their level of preparedness for a disaster or emergency. The study was conducted from June through September 2008 and ended just before Hurricane Ike made landfall.


RESULTS
Families were better prepared for self-management of diabetes, compared with general disaster preparedness. Sixty-two percent of the families were generally unprepared for a major disaster. For self-management of diabetes specifically, however, 75% of families had adequate supplies to maintain care for 3 days. Families in higher and moderate socioeconomic status strata were better equipped for an emergency (P < .002). Preparedness was found to be independent of age, gender, ethnicity, and previous experience of a disaster.


CONCLUSIONS
Disaster preparedness still lags in families of lower socioeconomic status.
Renukuntla
Venkat S
VS
Department of Pediatric Endocrinology and Metabolism, Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, Texas, USA.
Hassan
Krishnavathana
K
Wheat
Suzanne
S
Heptulla
Rubina A
RA
D002648:Child; D003922:Diabetes Mellitus, Type 1 / Q000628:therapy*; D004189:Disaster Planning; D004630:Emergencies; D004632:Emergency Medical Services / Q000458:organization & administration; D005190:Family; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D012648:Self Care; D012959:Socioeconomic Factors; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires; D013781:Texas