Evaluation of the Factors Influencing Diabetic Control among Adolescents with Type 1 Diabetes

Background and Objective: Type 1 diabetes is the most common metabolic and chronic disease in children and adolescents. This study aimed to evaluate the factors influencing diabetic control among adolescents with Type 1 diabetes. Materials and Methods: This cross-sectional descriptive study was conducted on 205 patients aged 11-19 years with type 1 diabetes who referred to Endocrine Clinic of Besat Hospital, Hamadan, Iran, in 2019. The participants were selected based on a census sampling method and investigated in terms of factors affecting diabetic control. The data were analyzed in SPSS software (version 16). A p-value less than 0.05 was considered statistically significant. Results: The mean age of the patients was 13.96±3.17 years, and 58% of the participants were female. Moreover, the mean values of diabetes duration and Hemoglobin A1c (HbA1c) were estimated at 5.71±3.16 years and 8.89±1.84%, respectively. Regarding treatment adherence, 35.2% of the patients had poor adherence. The prevalence rate of depression, anxiety, and stress were 51.2%, 72.2%, and 13.2% in patients, respectively. Poorly controlled diabetes based on HbA1c correlated significantly with father's unemployment status and poor family support. Furthermore, the status of diabetes control based on HbA1c level had a significant correlation with the scores of stress, anxiety, and depression. However, there was a negative and significant relationship between the status of diabetes control and the number of annual referrals to the clinic. Conclusion: This study showed that anxiety, depression, and stress led to poor control in patients with type 1 diabetes. On the other hand, increased income and family support, as well as frequent visits to the clinic improved diabetic control.