Quality of Life in Romanian Children with Type 1 Diabetes: A Cross-Sectional Survey Using an Interdisciplinary Healthcare Intervention

Abstract

Background: The purpose of this study was to assess the quality of life in Romanian type 1 diabetes mellitus (T1DM) children attending an early interdisciplinary healthcare intervention. Hypothesis: engaging T1DM children in leisure sports leads to a better quality of life. Methods: This research embeds a cross-sectional observational study, incorporating some clinical characteristics relevant for diabetes management. The Kidscreen 27 questionnaire was issued to 100 T1DM children aged between 7 and 17 years. Parents completed the questionnaire. All subjects received interdisciplinary healthcare in the previous year. Statistics were performed using SPSS, v20. The required sample size of 100 subjects was obtained with a confidence interval of 95% and a sampling error of 0.009. The tests were two-sided, with a type I error set at 0.05. Results: Subjects reached an increased level of physical well-being, psychological well-being, autonomy, parent relationships, peer and social support, and school inclusion. There was a significant difference (p < 0.05) between children who practice leisure activities and children who only participated in physical education (PE) classes, regarding their physical well-being (t = 2.123). ANOVA demonstrated significant differences between age groups regarding physical well-being. Conclusion: The interdisciplinary healthcare intervention increased the efficiency of T1DM management with positive effects on life quality.