In fact, among those who answered regarding children with diabetes, it is quite rare for meals to be missed. In contrast, among the teens and adults who answered, skipped meals are a much more common occurence, with over half reporting that they miss meals frequently or often. These findings probably mirror to a great extent the meal regularity of Americans NOT dealing with diabetes. It is more rare for youngsters to miss meals than adults. Parents and others do the work to make sure foods are available at regular mealtimes to satisfy the hunger and nutritional needs of youngsters in their care.
Meal regularity falls off among teens and adults, diabetes notwithstanding.
More hectic lifestyles and the loss of someone to make sure the meals are available often translate into more irregular eating patterns. Our poll shows that this trend holds true among teens and adults with diabetes. Skipping meals once diabetes is a factor has greater implications than it does among people who do not have diabetes. Those whose insulin regimens feature unchanging doses are likely to develop low blood sugar when meals are missed. Those who have learned to adjust mealtime insulin for the actual food eaten have the flexibility to be more spontaneous without suffering negative consequences.