High prevalence of disordered eating behavior in Danish children and adolescents with type 1 diabetes

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Objective: A higher prevalence of disordered eating behavior (DEB) has been demonstrated in children and adolescents with type 1 diabetes (T1D) compared to healthy aged-matched peers. DEB is associated with higher HbA1c levels and increased risk of developing complications to T1D. The aim of this study was to determine the prevalence of DEB in a Danish cohort of children and adolescents with T1D aged 11 to 19 years and to characterize them regarding metabolic control and relevant clinical data. Research design and methods: In a cross-sectional study, we determined the prevalence of DEB using the revised Diabetes Eating Problem Survey (DEPS-R) questionnaire. HbA1c and relevant clinical data were obtained at the time they filled in the questionnaire. Results: Hundred and ninety-two children and adolescents (46% girls) aged 11 to 19 years with T1D were included from the pediatric diabetes outpatient clinic. A total of 40 participants (21%) had DEB. The prevalence was higher among girls compared with boys (34.1% vs 8.9%) and those who had DEB were older (16.7 vs 15.0 years, P <.001), had longer duration of T1D (7.5 vs 4.9 years, P <.001), higher BMI Z-scores (1.2 vs 0.3, P <.001), higher HbA1c (72.8 (8.8%) vs 62.0 (7.8%) mmol/mol, P <.001), higher total cholesterol (4.6 mmol/L vs 4.2 mmol/L, P =.0048), and LDL (2.7 vs 2.3, P =.001) compared with those with no signs of DEB. Conclusion: As in other countries, the prevalence of DEB is high in Danish adolescents with T1D. Early detection of DEB is essential to prevent short- and long-term complications to T1D.

Original languageEnglish
JournalPediatric Diabetes
Volume21
Issue number6
Pages (from-to)1043-1049
Number of pages7
ISSN1399-543X
DOIs
Publication statusPublished - 2020

    Research areas

  • diabetes complications, diabetes mellitus type 1, eating disorders

ID: 243997155