ESPE Abstracts

Introduction: Diet plays a key role in the management of type 1 diabetes (T1D), thus nutritional education is a cornerstone in T1D therapy. The integration of nutrition knowledge into nutritional behavior may help parents inculcate a healthy lifestyle to their children. However, parents' diet and its potential impact on metabolic control of the disease of their children have been scarcely analyzed. This study was aimed to examine whether parents' food choices may influence metabolic control of their children with T1D.

Patients and methods: Food Choice Questionnaire in Spanish population (FCQ-SP) was conducted to assess main caregivers of children with T1D eating behaviors. The questionnaire measures eight motivational dimensions: mood, health, natural content, sensory appeal, weight control, convenience, familiarity and price. Patients’ HbA1c was determined during medical consultation. Demographic, anthropometric and clinical data were registered on the same day that the questionnaire was taken from the parents, after informed consent. Significance was established in P-value<0.05.

Results: Fifty-five T1D patients (35 girls; 51%), with a median age in years of 12.9 (9.8-14.5), were recruited. 41 (73.2%) patients had closed-loop insulin pumps. 33 (60%) have shown HbA1c levels of <7.5%, while only 17 (30.9%) had a time in range of >70%. Main caregivers were mothers, median age 44 (40-48) years. Significant positive correlation was found between Hb1Ac and familiarity and sensory appeal (R:+0.287 and R:+0.303 respectively). Furthermore, insulin needs (UI/kg/day) showed a positive significant correlation with sensory appeal and negative with familiarity (R:+0.283 and R:-0.311) and Z-score BMI with price and weight control (R:+0.312 and R:+0.304). No correlation was found with other motivational dimensions.

Conclusions: Children with T1D whose parents choose food for their sensorial appeal have higher insulin needs and HbA1c. When food is chosen by familiarity, children have higher HbA1c levels and use less amount of insulin. These data provide new insights into the food choices of parents of children with T1D and support the importance of personalized nutritional education to acquire glucose control promoting nutritional habits.