Association of Prodromal Type 1 Diabetes With School Absenteeism of Danish Schoolchildren: A Population-Based Case-Control Study of 1,338 Newly Diagnosed Children.

OBJECTIVE: To investigate school absenteeism before the clinical diagnosis of type 1 diabetes in children who develop the disease. RESEARCH DESIGN AND METHODS: This population-based, retrospective case-control study involved all Danish children who developed type 1 diabetes and attended public schools (n = 1,338) from 2010 to 2017. Those children were matched at a 1-to-5 ratio, on the basis of sex and date of birth, to children without diabetes (n = 6,690). Case and control absenteeism were compared monthly, starting with 12 months prior to the type 1 diabetes diagnosis through 12 months after diagnosis. RESULTS: Before the diabetes diagnosis (7-12 months), the mean number of days absent from school per month was 0.93 (SD 1.78) among children with diabetes and 0.93 (1.82) among control children (difference -0.004 days, P = 0.94). From 4 months before the diagnosis, children who developed diabetes had a statistically significant increase in absenteeism compared with control children (difference 0.24 days, P < 0.05). CONCLUSIONS: Children who were diagnosed with type 1 diabetes had increased school absenteeism 4 months before diagnosis.

Association of type 1 diabetes and school wellbeing: a population-based cohort study of 436,439 Danish schoolchildren.

AIMS/HYPOTHESIS: We aimed to examine the association of type 1 diabetes with school wellbeing among Danish children. METHODS: This is a population-based cohort study involving 436,439 Danish children, of which 1499 had a confirmed diagnosis of type 1 diabetes. The children were enrolled in grade levels 4 to 9 (middle school) in Danish public schools in the years 2014-2017. Questionnaire outcomes from the yearly National Wellbeing Survey related to self-efficacy, perceived competences, peer and teacher support, bullying and somatic symptoms were analysed. Ordered logistic regression was used to compare outcomes of children with and without type 1 diabetes, and to compare subgroups of children with type 1 diabetes by different levels of HbA1c and diabetes duration. Primary outcomes were answers to seven pre-specified questionnaire items (scale, 1 to 5). RESULTS: A total of 817,679 questionnaires were initiated, of which n = 2681 were from children with type 1 diabetes. Compared with the background population, children with type 1 diabetes expressed more peer support; adjusted OR 1.17 (95% CI 1.08, 1.27). Children with diabetes also reported more often having a headache; adjusted OR 1.09 (95% CI 1.00, 1.19). Overall, children with poor glycaemic control (HbA1c >70 mmol/mol) had worse outcomes on the wellbeing measures compared with the background population. Even after adjusting for socioeconomic status, they still reported significantly worse perceived competences, less teacher support and more somatic symptoms (stomach ache and headache). CONCLUSIONS/INTERPRETATION: In Denmark, children with type 1 diabetes generally feel well supported in school but have more headaches than other children. Poor glycaemic control is associated with worse psychological school-related wellbeing. Graphical abstract.

Socioeconomic Inequality in Metabolic Control Among Children With Type 1 Diabetes: A Nationwide Longitudinal Study of 4,079 Danish Children.

OBJECTIVE: To examine inequality in glycemic control by maternal educational level among children with type 1 diabetes in a setting with universal access to health care. RESEARCH DESIGN AND METHODS: This was a longitudinal nationwide study of 4,079 Danish children with type 1 diabetes between the years 2000 and 2013. Children were divided into four groups based on mothers' education prebirth (≤high school [n = 1,643], vocational or 2-year college [n = 1,548], bachelor's degree [n = 695], ≥master's degree [n = 193]). Means of socioeconomic and treatment characteristics were compared between groups. HbA1c and the number of daily glucose tests were compared repeatedly from onset until 5 years after onset across groups. HbA1c was compared across daily blood glucose testing frequency and groups. Linear regression was used to compare HbA1c across groups with and without adjustment for socioeconomic and treatment characteristics. RESULTS: Large differences in HbA1c across maternal education were found. The mean level of HbA1c during follow-up was 59.7 mmol/mol (7.6%) for children of mothers with ≥master's degrees and 68.7 mmol/mol (8.4%) for children of mothers with ≤high school (difference: 9.0 mmol/mol [95% CI 7.5, 10.6]; 0.8% [95% CI 0.7, 1.0]). The associations were attenuated but remained significant after adjustment. Observable characteristics explained 41.2% of the difference in HbA1c between children of mothers with ≤high school and mothers with ≥master's degree; 22.5% of the difference was explained by more frequent blood glucose monitoring among the children with the highly educated mothers. CONCLUSIONS: Family background is significantly related to outcomes for children with type 1 diabetes, even with universal access to health care.

Association of Type 1 Diabetes With Standardized Test Scores of Danish Schoolchildren.

Importance: Type 1 diabetes has been associated with cardiovascular disease and late complications such as retinopathy and nephropathy. However, it is unclear whether there is an association between type 1 diabetes and school performance in children. Objective: To compare standardized reading and mathematics test scores of schoolchildren with type 1 diabetes vs those without diabetes. Design, Setting, and Participants: Population-based retrospective cohort study from January 1, 2011, to December 31, 2015 (end date of follow-up), including Danish public schoolchildren attending grades 2, 3, 4, 6, and 8. Test scores were obtained in math (n = 524 764) and reading (n = 1 037 006). Linear regression models compared outcomes with and without adjustment for socioeconomic characteristics. Exposures: Type 1 diabetes. Main Outcomes and Measures: Primary outcomes were pooled test scores in math and reading (range, 1-100). Results: Among 631 620 included public schoolchildren, the mean (SD) age was 10.31 (SD, 2.42) years, and 51% were male; 2031 had a confirmed diagnosis of type 1 diabetes. Overall, the mean combined score in math and reading was 56.11 (SD, 24.93). There were no significant differences in test scores found between children with type 1 diabetes (mean, 56.56) and children without diabetes (mean, 56.11; difference, 0.45 [95% CI, -0.31 to 1.22]). The estimated difference in test scores between children with and without type 1 diabetes from a linear regression model with adjustment for grade, test topic, and year was 0.24 (95% CI, -0.90 to 1.39) and 0.45 (95% CI, -0.58 to 1.49) with additional adjustment for socioeconomic status. Conclusions and Relevance: Among Danish public schoolchildren, there was no significant difference in standardized reading and mathematics test scores of children with type 1 diabetes compared with test scores of children without diabetes.