Simplified integration of optimal self-management behaviors is associated with improved HbA1c in patients with type 1 diabetes

PURPOSE

Living with type 1 diabetes requires burdensome and complex daily diabetes self-management behaviors. This study aimed to determine the association between integrated behavior performance and HbA1c, while identifying the behavior with the most significant impact on HbA1c.

METHODS

A simple and feasible questionnaire was used to collect diabetes self-management behavior in patients with type 1 diabetes (n = 904). We assessed six dimensions of behavior performance: continuous glucose monitor (CGM) usage, frequent glucose testing, insulin pump usage, carbohydrate counting application, adjustment of insulin doses, and usage of apps for diabetes management. We evaluated the association between these behaviors and HbA1c.

RESULTS

In total, 21.3% of patients performed none of the allotted behavior, while 28.5% of patients had a total behavior score of 3 or more. 63.6% of patients with a behavior score ≥ 3 achieved HbA1c goal, contrasting with only 30.4% of patients with a behavior score of 0-1. There was a mean 0.54% ± 0.05% decrease in HbA1c for each 1-unit increase in total behavior score after adjustment for age, family education and diabetes duration. Each behavior was independently correlated with a lower HbA1c level, with CGM having the most significant effect on HbA1c levels.

CONCLUSIONS

Six optimal self-management behaviors, especially CGM usage, were associated with improved glycemic control, emphasizing the feasibility of implementing a simplified version of DSMES in the routine clinical care.

REGISTRATION NUMBER

ClinicalTrials.gov Identifier: NCT03610984.

Care, control and complications of hospitalised patients with type 1 diabetes in China: A nationwide-based registry study

AIMS

To evaluate the status quo of type 1 diabetes (T1D) management and characteristics of hospitalised patients with T1D in China through a nationwide multicentre registry study, the China Diabetes Type 1 Study (CD1S).

MATERIALS AND METHODS

Clinical data from the electronic hospital records of all people with T1D were retrospectively collected in 13 tertiary hospitals across 7 regions of China from January 2016 to December 2021. Patients were defined as newly diagnosed who received a diagnosis of diabetes for less than 3 months.

RESULTS

Among the 4993 people with T1D, the median age (range) at diagnosis was 23.0 (1.0-87.0) years and the median disease duration was 2.0 years. The median haemoglobin A1c (HbA1c) level was 10.7%. The prevalence of obesity, overweight, dyslipidemia, and hypertension were 2.5%, 10.8%, 62.5% and 25.9%, respectively. The incidence rate of diabetic ketoacidosis at disease onset was 41.1%, with the highest in children <10 years of age (50.6%). In patients not newly diagnosed, 60.7% were diagnosed with at least one chronic diabetic complication, with the highest proportion (45.3%) of diabetic peripheral neuropathy. Chronic complications were detected in 79.2% of people with T1D duration ≥10 years.

CONCLUSIONS

In the most recent years, there were still unsatisfactory metabolic control and high incidence of diabetic ketoacidosis as well as chronic diabetic complications among inpatients with T1D in China. The ongoing CD1S prospective study aims to improve the quality of T1D management nationally.

Factors Associated with Adherence to Self-Monitoring of Blood Glucose Among Young People with Type 1 Diabetes in China: A Cross-Sectional Study

BACKGROUND

Self-monitoring of blood glucose (SMBG) plays a crucial role in the maintenance of glycemic control in young people with type 1 diabetes mellitus (T1DM), but most of them do not perform SMBG as recommended. Few studies comprehensively explored factors that correlate with adherence to SMBG among this population on the basis of a framework. Hence, the aims of this study were to describe adherence to SMBG among young people with T1DM in China and explore its associating factors according to the Self and Family Management (SFM) framework.

METHODS

A cross-sectional study was conducted on young people with T1DM in Hunan Province of China from July to August 2020. Based on the SFM framework, self-reported questionnaires were organized for the collection of data on adherence to SMBG, socio-demographic and clinical factors, resources, health care system, and personal factors. Factors associated with adherence to SMBG were determined through multivariate logistic regression analysis.

RESULTS

A total of 165 young people were invited, of which 122 (73.9%) completed the questionnaires. The mean age was 12.41 years (SD = 3.18), and the proportion of young people who adhered to SMBG was 53.3%. Multivariate logistic regression analysis revealed that children aged 8-12 years (OR = 0.188, P = 0.002), from two-parent families (OR = 0.232, P = 0.019), and with better personal factors (eg, with more information of SMBG, OR = 1.072, P = 0.020; lower diabetes-related worry, OR = 0.917, P = 0.031; higher level of pain during SMBG, OR = 1.852, P = 0.001), had better adherence to SMBG.

CONCLUSION

Nearly half of the young people with T1DM were not adherent to SMBG in China. Clinicians need to pay more attention to adolescents from single-parent families with regard to their adherence to SMBG. Providing management strategies of SMBG, including delivering SMBG-related information, decreasing diabetes-related worry, and relieving pain related to SMBG, may improve adherence.