Aim. To estimate the out-of-pocket expenses associated with diabetes care a
nd their impact on self-care activities in inner urban South Auckland.
Methods. Follow-up, cross-sectional household survey among 1629 residents w
ith known diabetes. A brief questionnaire was completed during either two c
onsecutive mail surveys or a subsequent household visit to diabetic patient
s identified in a previous household survey.
Results. Responses were obtained from 802 (75%) of the 1075 subjects remain
ing resident in the area. Median annual costs of scripts, shoes, clinic and
general practice visits ranged between $191-$329 depending on ethnic group
. Costs were higher among males, those requiring insulin therapy and those
aged under 60 years. A significant proportion of subjects reported that the
se costs prevented regular self-blood-glucose monitoring (18-49%), self-med
ication (11-47%) and regular insulin therapy among insulin-treated patients
(8-52%).
Conclusions. The out-of-pocket expenses associated with diabetes remain a s
ubstantial portion of disposable income and a barrier to the prevention of
diabetes-related complications. These data support the provision of prevent
ive diabetes care at no cost to the patient at the point of care.