Inadequate Diaper Supply Affects Child’s Health

Nearly 30 percent of U.S. mothers cannot afford to buy diapers for their babies, a latest research by Yale University reveals.

The study published in the journal Pediatrics noted that eight percent of the mothers reuse soiled diapers. This might lead to immediate health hazards such as urinary tract infections or diaper rash (dermatitis), the study says.

For the research, the team surveyed 877 mothers and found that diaper need impacts maternal stress, child health and child development.

"This study supports this premise with the suggestion that an adequate supply of diapers may prove a tangible way of reducing parenting stress, a critical factor influencing child health and development," the researchers wrote.

The researchers said that a proper supply of diapers costs $18 a week. This makes single mothers, who on an average earn $7.25 per hour,  pay more than six percent of their entire earnings on diapers for one child.

"The child without sufficient diapers may be refused admittance to the child care center and lose the subsidy intended to increase access to child care for low-income families," the researchers wrote.

Hispanic mothers reported more about the diaper need and older mothers above 45 years of age were more affected with the problem.

"We talk, as researchers, about the link between mental health and poverty, but oftentimes don't often operationalize what poverty looks like specific to mothers," Yale psychiatrist and study author Megan Smith told HealthDay. She suggested that the pediatricians should chip in for  mothers requiring help and recommend local diaper bank services.