Endocrine Abstracts

Introduction: Eating habits, food choices and exercise affect glycaemic control in patients with Type 1 Diabetes Mellitus (T1DM). The purpose of this study was to evaluate eating behaviors, food choices and the level of physical activity in patients with T1DM.

Methods/design: A random sample of 84 patients (M/F: 31/53) with T1DM, aged 34+11.9 years, living in central Greece, were individually interviewed. Food consumption was assessed by a semi-quantitative food-frequency questionnaire and adherence to the Mediterranean diet (MedDiet) was evaluated using the KIDMED questionnaire. Physical activity also assessed by validated questionnaires. Information was collected regarding self-perceived body size, dietary knowledge, control for eating, meal and snack frequency and eating out of home. Height, weight, BMI and waist circumference (WC) were also measured. Glycemic control was assessed by glycated hemoglobin.

Results: Mean BMI was 24.5+5.3 kg/m² and about half patients (48.9%) were overweight or obese (BMI >25 kg/m²). Mean WC was 92.7+11.2 cm (M: 98.5+12.2 cm and F: 89+9.2 cm) and HbA1c was 7.7+1.7%. Body image concerns, education about food, personal control for eating and the presence of diabetes are factors found to affect food choices. Regular meals at home were frequent, 75% reported to have breakfast daily, 58% have a midmorning snack, 99% eat lunch and dinner daily and 46.4% have a snack before bed. Eating out with friends and/or family and eating at work was related to higher consumption of ‘junk type of food’. Only 33.3% of patients reported high adherence to MedDiet (KIDMED index >8), 54.8% reported moderate (KIDMED index 4–7) and 11.9% reported low (KIDMED index ≤3) adherence to MedDiet. 13.1% of patients reported a high physical activity level and 22.6% reported moderate levels at least three times per week. The great majority (64.3%) of patients had low levels or no regular physical activity. No correlation was found between HbA1c levels and adherence to MedDiet (r=0.432, P=0.298). HbA1c levels were negatively correlated with the level of physical activity (r=−0.233, P=0.00).

Conclusion: The presence of diabetes, personal issues, peers and family affect food choices in patients with T1DM. As physical activity remains low and the prevalence of obesity is increasing in this group of patients, implementation of multilevel strategies is necessary for improving glycaemic control and avoiding weight gain.