Adherence to Dietary Recommendations in Children With Type 1 Diabetes: A Cross- Sectional Study

Medical nutrition therapy is an essential component of management of type 1 diabetes (T1D). This study evaluated adherence of children with T1D to International Society for Pediatric and Adolescent Diabeties (ISPAD) 2018 dietary recommendations.

Dietary assessment was conducted for 75 children with T1D of duration > 1 year.

Adherence to the recommendations was observed in 40% of participants. Mean (SD) calorie intake (%) from carbohydrate, fat and protein was 51.93 (6.08), 32.42 (5.66) and 15.95 (2.45), respectively. 68% participants had an energy deficit of >10% of the estimated average requirement. Children in “Adherent” group had significantly lower energy intake (%) from carbohydrates [50.26 (2.11) vs 53.18 (7.39)], saturated fats (<10%) and higher from proteins [16.74 (1.68) vs 15.42 (2.75)] as compared to “Non-adherent”group (P < 0.05). The mean (SD) HbA1c (%) was significantly lower in the “Adherent” group [7.5 (0.50) vs 9.17 (1.12)].

Diet in a large proportion of Indian children with T1D does not meet the ISPAD recommendations.