Diabetes Stigma and Psychosocial Outcomes in Adolescents and Young Adults: The SEARCH for Diabetes in Youth Study.

OBJECTIVE: To examine the association between diabetes stigma, socioeconomic status, psychosocial variables, and substance use in adolescents and young adults (AYAs) with type 1 or type 2 diabetes. RESEARCH DESIGN AND METHODS: This is a cross-sectional analysis of AYAs from the SEARCH for Diabetes in Youth study who completed a survey on diabetes-related stigma, generating a total diabetes stigma score. Using multivariable modeling, stratified by diabetes type, we examined the relationship of diabetes stigma with variables of interest. RESULTS: Of the 1,608 AYAs who completed the diabetes-related stigma survey, 78% had type 1 diabetes, and the mean age was 21.7 years. Higher diabetes stigma scores were associated with food insecurity (P = 0.001), disordered eating (P < 0.0001), depressive symptoms (P < 0.0001), and decreased health-related (P < 0.0001) and diabetes-specific quality of life (P < 0.0001). CONCLUSIONS: Diabetes stigma is associated with food insecurity, disordered eating, and lower psychosocial well-being.

Health Care Transition to Adult Care in Type 1 Diabetes: Associations With Student and Employment Status-The SEARCH for Diabetes in Youth Study.

Successful transition from a pediatric to adult diabetes care provider is associated with reduced ambulatory diabetes care visits and increased acute complications. This study aimed to determine whether the degree of independence in diabetes care and the rate of acute complications after transition to adult diabetes care were associated with individuals' student or employment status. Nonstudents were found to be less likely than students to be independent with diabetes care, and employed nonstudents were at lower risk of diabetic ketoacidosis than unemployed nonstudents. Additional support may be needed for young adults who are not students or are unemployed to improve independence and reduce the risk for acute complications.

Preconception Counseling in Women With Diabetes: The SEARCH for Diabetes in Youth Study.

Preconception counseling is recommended for all women with diabetes starting at puberty to convey the importance of optimal diabetes management for maternal and fetal outcomes. This study included 622 female participants from the SEARCH for Diabetes in Youth study with a mean age of 22.2 years (range 14-35 years). Only 53.7% reported ever receiving preconception counseling, which was significantly lower among women seeing pediatric providers than those seeing adult or all-age providers. Older age and history of prior pregnancy were associated with increased odds of reporting having received preconception counseling. Identification of barriers to delivering preconception counseling to young females with diabetes and strategies to overcome them are needed to reduce the risk for pregnancy complications and adverse offspring health outcomes.

Diabetes Stigma and Clinical Outcomes in Adolescents and Young Adults: The SEARCH for Diabetes in Youth Study.

OBJECTIVE: To examine the association between diabetes stigma and HbA1c, treatment plan and acute and chronic complications in adolescents and young adults (AYAs) with type 1 or type 2 diabetes. RESEARCH DESIGN AND METHODS: The SEARCH for Diabetes in Youth study is a multicenter cohort study that collected questionnaire, laboratory, and physical examination data about AYAs with diabetes diagnosed in childhood. A five-question survey assessed frequency of perceived diabetes-related stigma, generating a total diabetes stigma score. We used multivariable linear modeling, stratified by diabetes type, to examine the association of diabetes stigma with clinical factors, adjusting for sociodemographic characteristics, clinic site, diabetes duration, health insurance, treatment plan, and HbA1c. RESULTS: Of 1,608 respondents, 78% had type 1 diabetes, 56% were female, and 48% were non-Hispanic White. The mean (SD) age at study visit was 21.7 (5.1) years (range, 10-24.9). The mean (SD) HbA1c was 9.2% (2.3%; 77 mmol/mol [2.0 mmol/mol]). Higher diabetes stigma scores were associated with female sex and higher HbA1c (P < 0.01) for all participants. No significant association between diabetes stigma score and technology use was observed. In participants with type 2 diabetes, higher diabetes stigma scores were associated with insulin use (P = 0.04). Independent of HbA1c, higher diabetes stigma scores were associated with some acute complications for AYAs with type 1 diabetes and some chronic complications for AYAs with type 1 or type 2 diabetes. CONCLUSIONS: Diabetes stigma in AYAs is associated with worse diabetes outcomes and is important to address when providing comprehensive diabetes care.

Household Food Insecurity and Fear of Hypoglycemia in Adolescents and Young Adults With Diabetes and Parents of Youth With Diabetes.

OBJECTIVE: To evaluate the relation between household food insecurity (HFI) and fear of hypoglycemia among young adults with type 1 and type 2 diabetes and adolescents with type 1 diabetes and their parents. RESEARCH DESIGN AND METHODS: We analyzed cross-sectional data of 1,676 young adults with youth-onset diabetes (84% type 1, 16% type 2) and 568 adolescents (<18 years old; mean age 15.1 years) with type 1 diabetes from the SEARCH for Diabetes in Youth study. Adult participants and parents of adolescent participants completed the U.S. Household Food Security Survey Module. Adults, adolescents, and parents of adolescents completed the Hypoglycemia Fear Survey, where answers range from 1 to 4. The outcomes were mean score for fear of hypoglycemia and the behavior and worry subscale scores. Linear regression models identified associations between HFI and fear of hypoglycemia scores. RESULTS: Adults with type 1 diabetes experiencing HFI had higher fear of hypoglycemia scores (0.22 units higher for behavior, 0.55 units for worry, 0.40 units for total; all P < 0.0001) than those without HFI. No differences by HFI status were found for adolescents with type 1 diabetes. Parents of adolescents reporting HFI had a 0.18 unit higher worry score than those not reporting HFI (P < 0.05). Adults with type 2 diabetes experiencing HFI had higher fear of hypoglycemia scores (0.19 units higher for behavior, 0.35 units for worry, 0.28 units for total; all P < 0.05) than those in food secure households. CONCLUSIONS: Screening for HFI and fear of hypoglycemia among people with diabetes can help providers tailor diabetes education for those who have HFI and therefore fear hypoglycemia.

Identifying Suicide Risk in Adolescents and Young Adults With Type 1 Diabetes: Are Depression Screeners Sufficient?

OBJECTIVE: Examine the utility of suicide-risk items embedded within depression screeners for identifying the presence of suicide risk in adolescents and young adults (AYA) with type 1 diabetes. RESEARCH DESIGN AND METHODS: Sensitivity, specificity, and predictive value of self-report of suicide risk on the Patient Health Questionniaire-9 (PHQ-9) were compared with the pediatric psychologist-administered Columbia-Suicide Severity Rating Scale (C-SSRS) as the reference standard for AYA with type 1 diabetes seen in a multidisciplinary AYA Diabetes Program clinic. RESULTS: Of 133 participants, 9.8% and 11.3% reported suicide risk on the PHQ-9 and C-SSRS, respectively. Sensitivity of the PHQ-9 risk item was 53.3% (95% CI 27.4%-77.7%), specificity was 95.7% (95% CI 89.9%-98.4%), positive predictive value was 61.5% (95% CI 32.3%-84.9%), and negative predictive value was 94.2% (95% CI 87.9-97.4%). CONCLUSIONS: Depression screeners appear to under-identify AYA with type 1 diabetes who may otherwise be at risk for suicide.

Mental health comorbidities in adolescents and young adults with type 2 diabetes.

BACKGROUND: Screening for mental health comorbidities is recommended in adolescents and young adults (AYAs) with diabetes. There is a paucity of data on mental health comorbidities in AYAs with type 2 diabetes (T2D). OBJECTIVE: To assess rates of depression, suicidal ideation, and diabetes distress (DD) in AYAs with T2D overall and by sociodemographic and clinical factors. METHODS: AYAs with T2D ages 13-21 years seen in a pediatric diabetes clinic between March 2018 and June 2019 completed the Patient Health Questionnaire-9 (PHQ-9) for depression screening and the Problem Areas in Diabetes - teen version (PAID-T) survey to assess DD. Chi-square tests were used to assess whether rates of depression and DD were associated with participant characteristics. RESULTS: The sample consisted of 64 AYAs with T2D (58% female, mean age 15.8 ± 2.0 years, mean HbA1c 8.3% ± 2.6%, mean BMI z-score 2.2 ± 0.6, 59% on insulin). Overall, 31% of participants had high depression and/or DD. Twenty-two percent of participants reported high depressive symptoms and 9% endorsed suicidal ideation on the PHQ-9. There were no differences in rates of depression by sociodemographic factors. Twenty-three percent of participants reported high DD. Rates of DD were higher among those on insulin (p = 0.014) and on public health insurance (p = 0.014). CONCLUSIONS: Almost 1 in 3 AYAs with T2D endorsed depression and/or DD. Our findings support the importance of mental health screening in AYAs with T2D, as well as the need for strategies to address psychological comorbidities in this population.

Adapting to telemedicine in the COVID-19 era: Feasibility of dried blood spot testing for hemoglobin A1c.

BACKGROUND AND AIMS: The COVID-19 pandemic has led to a rapid growth in the use of telemedicine for delivery of ambulatory diabetes care. This study evaluated the feasibility of remote HbA1c monitoring via dried blood spot (DBS) testing to support assessment of glycemic control for telemedicine visits and examined clinical and demographic characteristics associated with patient completion of DBS testing. METHODS: Providers could place orders for DBS HbA1c 3 weeks prior to telemedicine visits. Feasibility was assessed by examining DBS completion rates, time to completion, and availability of DBS results prior to telemedicine visits. Chi-square tests and Mann Whitney tests were used to assess whether completion rates were associated with participant characteristics. RESULTS: Of 303 DBS orders placed for telemedicine visits in June 2020, 162 patients completed the DBS test for a completion rate of (53.4%). Average time from collection at home to result being reported was 6.9 (3.8) days. The DBS result was available in 67.6% of patients who completed successful DBS, before the telemedicine clinic visit. HbA1c was lower in the DBS completion group as compared to the non-completion group (8.2% vs. 8.9%, p = 0.01). No other clinical or demographic characteristics were significantly different between the two groups. CONCLUSION: Remote HbA1c monitoring via DBS is feasible and offers an avenue to support assessment of glycemic control for patients seen via telemedicine. Future work should focus on improving clinic and laboratory processes to support remote DBS collection.

Screening for Mental Health Comorbidities in a Pediatric Diabetes Clinic Setting.

Quality Improvement Success Stories are published by the American Diabetes Association in collaboration with the American College of Physicians and the National Diabetes Education Program. This series is intended to highlight best practices and strategies from programs and clinics that have successfully improved the quality of care for people with diabetes or related conditions. Each article in the series is reviewed and follows a standard format developed by the editors of Clinical Diabetes. The following article describes an effort to improve mental health screening of patients at a pediatric diabetes clinic in Seattle, WA.

Hypoglycaemia avoidance behaviour and exercise levels in active youth with type 1 diabetes.

AIMS: The primary goal of this exploratory study was to examine the association between fear of hypoglycaemia (FOH), hypoglycaemia avoidance behaviours and exercise in active youth with type 1 diabetes (T1D). METHODS: 30 youth with T1D who participate in some physical activity (PA), age 15.0 ± 2.4 years, on insulin pump therapy completed the 'Type 1 Diabetes Report of Exercise Practices Survey (T1D-REPS)' and parent and child hypoglycaemia fear surveys (HFS). Twenty-eight participants completed the 3-day PA recall survey. Clinical data and pump downloads were obtained at the time of the survey collection. RESULTS: Higher child HFS behaviour and total scores were associated with higher PA levels (P = .003, P = .027), and higher parent HFS behaviour score was associated with higher youth PA levels (P = .031), after adjusting for age, sex, duration of diabetes and BMI. Higher child HFS behaviour score was associated with a higher exercise hypoglycaemia avoidance score on T1D-REPS (r = .38, P = .043). Higher child HFS worry and total scores were associated with higher HbA1c (r = .48, P = .008; r = .46, P = .012). CONCLUSIONS: This study demonstrated that, in a generally active cohort of youth with T1D, increased hypoglycaemia avoidance behaviour was associated with higher PA levels. Higher overall FOH scores were associated with PA level, driven by higher behaviour subscale scores, while worry subscales were not correlated with PA level. Those with more FOH intervene more to specifically avoid exercise-associated hypoglycaemia and appear to have worse overall glycaemic control. Thus, improved education is required to improve glycaemic control around exercise while maintaining avoidance of hypoglycaemia.

Alcohol consumption patterns in young adults with type 1 diabetes: The SEARCH for diabetes in youth study.

AIMS: The objective of this study is to describe alcohol consumption behaviors of young adults with T1D and to examine associations between alcohol consumption and diabetes-related clinical markers. METHODS: Data from 602 SEARCH for Diabetes in Youth Study participants age ≥ 18 yrs. with T1D were collected from 12/2011 to 6/2015 (50% female, mean age 21.3(SD 2.4), 22% race/ethnic minority). Participants were characterized as alcohol non-drinkers (n = 269), drinkers but non-binge drinkers (n = 167), or binge drinkers (n = 166) based on reported consumption in the past 30 days. Analyses were conducted using one-way ANOVAs, chi-square tests, and logistic regression modeling to examine associations between drinking and clinical markers. RESULTS: Fifty-five percent of participants reported alcohol consumption; 27.6% of participants reported binge drinking. After adjusting for demographic characteristics, neither binge drinking nor non-binge drinking were associated with HbA1c or severe hypoglycemic events relative to non-drinkers. Binge drinking was associated with higher HDL (p = 0.008), lower systolic blood pressure (p = 0.011), and a lower waist:height ratio compared to non-drinkers (p = 0.013). CONCLUSIONS: Young adults with T1D in the SEARCH cohort reported similar alcohol use but higher rates of binge drinking compared to the general United States population and previously reported rates in adults with T1D.

Efficacy and Safety of Real-Life Usage of MiniMed 670G Automode in Children with Type 1 Diabetes Less than 7 Years Old.

The Medtronic MiniMed 670G system with SmartGuard™ (Medtronic, Northridge, CA) is a commercial hybrid closed-loop (HCL) system approved for use in 2018 for children >7 years. Studies of this HCL system in subjects >7 years old show improvement in glycemic control, but no study has described its use in younger children. This is a retrospective analysis of patients with type 1 diabetes (T1D) <7 years of age who used the 670G HCL system at Seattle Children's Hospital for 3 months. We compared 2-week data from Carelink™ while in manual mode (MM) with suspend before low active with those in auto mode (AM). We used two tailed t-test to compare variables related to glycemic control. Sixteen children were reviewed [age of AM start: average 4.3 years (range 2-6); 10 male]. The average time in AM was 6.3 ± 2.9 months (range 3-12). There was a statistically significant change for A1c [MM 7.9% (62.8 mmol/mol), AM 7.4% (57.4 mmol/mol); P-value <0.001], percentage time in range (MM 42.8%, AM 56.2%; P-value <0.001), percentage hypoglycemia (MM 1.3%, AM 2.4%; P-value 0.04), and average sensor glucose [MM 200 mg/dL (11.1 mmol/L), AM 176 mg/dL (9.8 mmol/L); P-value <0.001]. No serious adverse reports noted. This case series showed improvement in glycemic control in very young children using the 670G HCL. We did note more hypoglycemia although no serious adverse events, such as hypoglycemic seizure, were reported. A HCL system can be used in young children with T1D safely and effectively and should be an option for children <7 years.

Feasibility of Routine Assessment of Exercise Knowledge and Safety in Youth With Type 1 Diabetes.

PURPOSE: This pilot study assessed the feasibility and satisfaction of an electronic clinical tool to survey management of exercise in youth with type 1 diabetes (T1DM) for use in an outpatient diabetes clinic setting. METHODS: Fifty youth with T1DM were recruited (ages, 10-18 years; mean ± SD, 14.8 ± 2.4) and 11 diabetes providers. Prior to a clinic visit and with an electronic tablet, participants completed the Type 1 Diabetes Report of Exercise Practices Survey, which included 9 primary exercise management guidelines. Responses were flagged if contrary to guidelines, and automated individualized reports with personalized evidence-based recommendations were produced for providers prior to seeing the patient. Postclinic assessment surveys were completed by patients and providers. RESULTS: Out of the 9 guidelines, a mean of 4 ± 0.9 responses per patient were flagged as potentially unsafe. Ninety-one percent of providers took <10 minutes to review and discuss the report with their patients. Ninety-one percent of providers rated the tool as highly useful in facilitating patient education regarding exercise guidelines at that clinic visit. Fifty-six percent of youth rated the tool highly when asked whether its use altered their planned behavior around exercise. When participants were asked if such a tool should be used routinely in diabetes clinic, 64% of provider responses and 60% of patient responses were highly positive. CONCLUSIONS: This electronic tool identified deficits in exercise management in youth with T1DM and improved education in the clinic visit regarding exercise, and a majority felt it feasible and desirable to include in routine outpatient diabetes care.

Do youth with type 1 diabetes exercise safely? A focus on patient practices and glycemic outcomes.

OBJECTIVE: Insulin adjustments have been shown to reduce glycemic excursions during and after exercise, but little is known about their use in youth with type 1 diabetes (T1D). We aimed to assess practices in youth with T1D around exercise, assess factors that influence practices, and examine associations between key behaviors and glycemic outcomes. RESEARCH DESIGN AND METHODS: We developed the 'Type 1 Diabetes Report of Exercise Practices Survey (T1D-REPS)' and piloted this tool in 100 youth with T1D on an insulin pump. Participants completed a 3-day physical activity recall and 30 days of pump/glucose data were collected. Chart review was conducted for key clinical measures. RESULTS: Eighty-four percent of participants modified their insulin regimen around exercise; only 40% reported adjusting prandial insulin immediately before exercise while 68% reported some modification (suspension or decrease) of basal insulin during exercise. Following exercise, only 10% reported reducing overnight basal insulin. Those who performed ≥ 5 glucose checks/day adjusted basal insulin during exercise more frequently than those with fewer daily glucose checks (33% vs. 13%, p = 0.05, chi-squared = 3.7), and were more likely to report decreasing insulin dose for the bedtime snack following exercise (50% vs. 17%, p = 0.004, chi-squared = 8.2). CONCLUSIONS: Despite several studies showing the frequency of hypoglycemia during and after exercise, many youth are not adjusting insulin for exercise. A tool designed to capture patient practices and provide clinicians with a framework for patient education may lead to improved safety around exercise in youth with T1D.

Exercise in Youth with Type 1 Diabetes.

Exercise is important in the management of type 1 diabetes mellitus (T1DM). Modern diabetes care includes the goal that all youth meet guidelines for regular physical activity. Evidence suggests regular physical activity improves cardiovascular health, lipid profiles, psychosocial wellbeing and, possibly, glycemic control in youth with T1DM. However, exercise is especially problematic for children and adolescents because wide glycemic excursions commonly occur during and after exercise and may increase the risk of severe hypoglycemia. In addition, youth with T1DM have abnormal counterregulatory hormone responses, further increasing the risk of exercise-associated hypoglycemia. Recent studies have demonstrated that this risk is present during, and many hours after exercise, and have tested strategies to prevent exercise-induced hypoglycemia in youth. Despite these recent studies, the fear of hypoglycemia remains a major impediment to achieving target glycemic control in youth, targets that have recently been tightened. Equally, data suggests fear of hypoglycemia is the major impediment to participation in regular daily exercise in T1DM. Recent advances in insulin delivery systems and in real time continuous glucose monitoring have improved care for youth with T1DM, allowing safer participation in exercise programs. The impending development and approval of "closed loop" insulin delivery systems (the artificial pancreas) holds great promise for the safe participation in exercise for all youth with T1DM.