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Disease knowledge, age at diagnosis not significantly linked in children with type 1 diabetes
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PHILADELPHIA — Though age at diagnosis of type 1 diabetes did not affect a patient’s knowledge of the disease, patient autonomy was associated with higher understanding among children diagnosed before and after age 9 years, according to data from Seattle Children’s Hospital.
Erin Alving, MSN, ARNP, CDE, pediatric nurse practitioner and CDE in the Division of Endocrinology and Diabetes at Seattle Children’s Hospital, and colleagues issued surveys to children aged 10 to 13 years with type 1 diabetes (n=40) and their parents during clinical visits to determine whether age at diagnosis affects a child’s knowledge of diabetes, including pathophysiology, self-efficacy, self-care and self-autonomy. They also examined the relationship between knowledge and autonomy and HbA1c levels.
All patients included in the study had diabetes for at least 12 months; 21 were diagnosed before age 9 and 19 were diagnosed after age 9.
The Diabetes Self Management Profile was used to assess self-care; the Survey of Diabetes Understanding for knowledge about pathophysiology and self management; the Diabetes Family Responsibility Questionnaire for self-care autonomy and the Self-Efficacy for Diabetes scale was used to assess self-efficacy among the children.
Alving and colleagues used patient charts for data about date of diagnosis, HbA1c and other clinical factors.
According to data, older age at study visit was linked with higher knowledge scores among children diagnosed and educated at Seattle Children’s (P<.05). However, age at diagnosis — whether before or after age 9 years — did not affect knowledge scores.
Though knowledge scores were higher among patients using an insulin pump vs. those on a basal/bolus regimen (P<.01), there was no difference in HbA1c among those diagnosed before age 9 and those diagnosed after. However, in the abstract, researchers reported a trend toward an association between higher knowledge and lower HbA1c (P=.07).
In the future, Alving and colleagues plan to “analyze average A1c, frequency of follow-up visits and diabetic ketoacidosis admissions over the 2 years since the data collection and compare to knowledge and self-efficacy.” – by Stacey L. Adams
For more information:
Alving E. #R-55. Presented at: AADE Annual Meeting and Exhibition; August 7-10; Philadelphia.
Disclosure: The study was funded by the AADE Education and Research Foundation and Sigma Theta Tau International Nursing Honor Society.