Correlation Between Patient's Adherence and Glycemic Control in Children with Type 1 Diabetes During the COVID-19 Pandemic: A Cross-Sectional Study

Objective: The pandemic condition has hampered the health system because of government efforts to limit the spread of the coronavirus disease-2019 (COVID-19). These restrictions can affect the management of children with Type 1 diabetes mellitus (T1DM). We aimed to assess the correlation between patient adherence and glycemic control during early pandemic. Material and Methods: T1DM patients who regularly control to Pediatric Endocrine Outpatient Clinic of Dr. Soetomo Hospital, aged 4-18 years old and whose parents were willing to jjoin this study were included. The sample was randomly collected by phone from July 2nd to 28th, 2020 (during early pandemic). We used the Diabetes Management Questionnaire (DMQ) (parents-reported method for children aged <13 years and self-re- ported for children aged >13 years). The correlation between variables was analyzed by using Pearson correlation test. Results: Thirty patients were included in our study (mean age: 11.70±3.49 years old; the mean DMQ score: 56.33±11.30). The mean (±SD) HbA1c level was 11.35 (1.95) %. The DMQ score consists of 4 sectors, including adherence to insulin use, diet management, physical activity and glycemic monitoring, the means of patient's score vs maximum score as followed (10.00 vs 10.00), (24.83 vs 40.00), (6.87 vs 15), (18.25 vs 35). Unfortunately, the correlation analysis on patient's adherence and HbA1c was not significant (r=-0.231; p=0.164). Conclusion: The correlation between patient's adherence and HbA1c was not significant. Meanwhile, adherence to insulin showed maximal score during early COVID-19 pandemic.