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 Nearly half of U.S. families with infants and toddlers live on less
than $51,500 for a family of four, which is 200% of the federal
poverty level, researchers note in the American Journal of Public
Health. Many of these low-income households may struggle to afford
rent and food as well as basic infant care needs, including a
sufficient supply of diapers to keep babies clean, dry and healthy.
Nationwide, only about 4% of infants and toddlers in these
low-income households who needed diapers received them from diaper
banks in 2016, the study found.
"When we look at specific communities that have diaper banks, the
percentage of met need is much, much higher," said Kelley Massengale
of the National Diaper Bank Network in New Haven, Connecticut, the
study's lead author.
"The challenge is that not all communities have a diaper bank,"
Massengale said by email.
Massengale's team surveyed 262 diaper banks across the country about
their activities in 2016.
With the assistance of 3,547 community organizations, diaper banks
distributed more than 52 million disposable diapers that year. About
74% of these diapers were donated, and the rest were purchased.
Diaper banks also distributed 4,395 kits with reusable cloth
diapers.
Nationwide, researchers estimated that more than 7 million infants
and toddlers needed diapers and about 300,000 of these children
received support from diaper banks.
In each state, the proportion of infants and toddlers in need of
diapers who received support from diaper banks ranged from 0% to
16%.
Sometimes families may receive diaper donations from food banks or
from other nonprofit organizations, Massengale said.
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One limitation of the study is that it only looked at a national
network of diaper banks, and didn't assess other ways families in
need might get diapers, the study team notes.
The cost of diapers can add up quickly, with newborns needing up to
a dozen diaper changes a day and toddlers requiring around six,
Massengale said.
"When families do not have enough diapers, children go longer
between diaper changes," Massengale said. "This means their skin is
touching urine and feces for longer periods of time, which puts them
at increased risk for skin infections and urinary tract infections."
It can also be uncomfortable for children, making babies fussier and
more fitful sleepers, which is stressful for parents.
Many daycare centers require families to send children with diapers,
and parents who can't afford this may miss work because they're
unable to send kids to child care centers, Massengale added.
And low-income families may also have a hard time saving money on
diapers with bulk purchases.
"Strategies that make diapers more affordable for middle- and
upper-income families may not be possible for low-income families
who may not have: transportation to big-box stores, memberships to
bulk shopping clubs, enough money to make bulk purchases, or the
resources to shop online," Massengale said.
SOURCE: https://bit.ly/36AOn9F American Journal of Public Health,
online December 4, 2019.
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