Background: Currently, T1D is one of the most common chronic non-communicable diseases in children and adolescents. The International Diabetes Federation (IDF) estimates that more than 1.5 million children and adolescents are living with T1D. There is increased incidence of overweight and obesity in children and adolescents in the last decades. It is particularly important to monitor the nutritional status of children and adolescents with T1D as they are still growing and may be affected by the disease and the association between BMI and glycemic control.
Objectives: The aim of the study is to assess the nutritional status of children and adolescents with T1D and the association between BMI-SDS and gender, age, duration of diabetes, and glycemic control.
Materials and methods: This are a cross-sectional study included a sample of 100 children and adolescents aged from (> 2 - < 15) years with established diagnosis with T1D from those attending the pediatric diabetes clinic, Bab El-Sharia University Hospital and Al-Obour Hospital (Health Insurance Hospital), Kafr El-Sheikh governorate during the period from April 2021 to April 2022. BMI-SDS was calculated using the World Health Organization BMI charts. Children were categorized as underweight (BMI-SDS< -2SD), overweight (+1SD < BMI-SDS ≤+2SD), obese (BMI-SDS > +2 SD. Glycemic control was assessed by HbA1c. Hierarchic regression models were applied with adjustment for sex, age, and duration of diabetes.
Results: The prevalence of underweight, overweight, and obesity was 3%, 26%, 5% respectively. BMI-SDS increased by diabetes duration with the lowest duration in underweight group and the highest in the obese group (P = 0.011). The current study showed that the main HbA1c was 7.83 ± 0.59 and in both genders the association between HbA1c and BMI-SDS was U-shaped with the highest HbA1c in the underweight and obese groups. There is significant difference between underweight and normal (p < 0.001), significant difference between underweight and overweight (p = 0.005), significant difference between normal and overweight (p < 0.001), significant difference between normal weight and obese (p < 0.001), non-significant difference between overweight and obese (p=0.176) and non-significant difference between underweight and obese (p=0.465).
Conclusion: The high rate of overweight and obesity (31%) emphasize the need for developing further strategies to prevent and treat excess fat accumulation in T1D and it is strongly recommended in general population.