Riina Pironetti
Objective: Family-oriented self-management education is an essential component of diabetes care for achieving treatment objectives in Type 1 Diabetes (T1D). This study aimed to assess how caregiver knowledge of diabetes affects glycaemic control in children and adolescents with T1D. We investigated determinants associated with parental diabetes knowledge and its effect on the child’s glycaemic control. Research Design and Methods: Finnish-speaking children aged < 16 years with a T1D duration of > 1 year and their caregivers were enrolled in the study at an outpatient visit for the child. A questionnaire on family background information was administered at the time of enrolment. One or both caregivers completed a diabetes knowledge test. Medical personnel extracted diabetes-related information from the child’s medical records. Statistical analyses were conducted to explore the effect of parental diabetes knowledge on the child’s glycaemic control. Results: One hundred ninety-nine families were enrolled. We found no correlation between parental diabetes knowledge and glycaemic control of the child. A higher level of parental education was associated with better diabetes knowledge. Mothers demonstrated slightly better knowledge than fathers and caregivers’ knowledge improved over time, up to 6 years after the child’s diagnosis. Caregivers with diabetes themselves did not show improved diabetes knowledge or better glycaemic control in their child. Only insulin pump users appeared to achieve good glycaemic control (glycosylated haemoglobin HbA1c < 53 mmol/mol) more easily when the level of diabetes knowledge of the caregivers was higher. Conclusions: Our findings suggest that additional parental education may not improve glycaemic control once a basic level of diabetes knowledge has been attained. Thus, the glycaemic control of children with T1D may depend more on other factors than parental diabetes education.
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