ESPE Abstracts

Introduction: Type 1 diabetes mellitus (T1DM) is a chronic disease characterized by absolute insulin deficiency, it’s usually diagnosed in children and adolescents. According to a recent report from the International Diabetes Federation, Saudi Arabia has 14,900 children with T1DM. The incidence is increasing over the last years with prevalence rates of 48 per 100,000 in the eastern region. Parents play an important role in the management of T1DM in children. As a result, it’s important to assess parents’ knowledge about child diabetic care.

Objectives: Assessing the knowledge and attitudes of parents of T1DM children, regarding the disease and its therapy.

Methods: Observational cross sectional study. The participants were recruited from maternity and children’s hospital (MCH) in Eastern region, Saudi Arabia. Questionnaires were distributed to the parents of children with T1DM. The questionnaire focused on basic information parents should know about T1DM.

Results: A total of 120 parents completed the questionnaire. The average score of participants was 18.8±3.9 out of 26 with a range of (7-26). The major knowledge deficiencies were in various aspects including: blood glucose levels (BGL) in DKA with only (10.8%) of right answers and accepted BGL (51.7%). Hyperglycemia knowledge in general was the weakest point with only 35.8% of right answers. A significant correlation (P=0.01) was found between total score of parents knowledge and their level of education.

Conclusions: This study provided an initial identification of the major deficiencies in parental knowledge regarding T1DM and its management. More attention should be paid to these deficiencies in future parents’ education.