Effect on Glycemic Control of an Early Intensive Dietary Structured Education Program for Newly Diagnosed Children with Type 1 Diabetes in Jordan

Abstract

Background and Aim. Early diabetes education for persons with type 1 diabetes (T1D) is important to achieve early glycemic control. We had developed a dietary structured education program (SEP) to provide patients with the required skills for optimal diabetes management. Our aim was to study the effect of our program and factors that might affect its outcomes. Methods. This is a retrospective medical chart review study at Jordan University Hospital. The glycemic control of children who were diagnosed with T1D and included in the SEP between June 2017 and December 2019, was compared with those who were exposed to the conventional diabetes education, between January 2014 and December 2016. Various factors were assessed for the possible effects on the SEP outcomes. Results. The average age at diagnosis for the 112 persons with diabetes (PwD) included in the dietary SEP was 8.30 ± 3.87 years. Glycated hemoglobin was lower in children in the SEP group at 6 months ( $P$ value = 0.001) and 12 months ( $P=0.032$ ) but not at 24 months ( $P=0.290$ ). SEP had better effect on patients older than 5 years. The possible predictors of glycemic control for the SEP group at 12 months included the mother’s educational level and the number of hospital admissions due to DKA and hyperglycemia during the first year after diagnosis. Conclusion. Our dietary SEP was associated with better glycemic control than conventional diabetes education, at 6 and 12 months after diagnosis. It had a positive effect, mainly in PwD patients who are older than 5 years and had higher maternal educational level.