Quality of life among schoolchildren with type 1 diabetes mellitus and the satisfaction of their guardians towards school health care in Saudi Arabia

Amjad Alfaleh; Abdullah Alkattan; Abrar Alzaher; Dina Alhabib; Amani Alshatri; Amani Alnamshan; Ohood Almalki; Laila Almutairi; Mansour Khairat; Khlood Sagor; Khaled Alabdulkareem; Mona Ibrahim

doi:10.1016/j.diabres.2023.110901

Quality of life among schoolchildren with type 1 diabetes mellitus and the satisfaction of their guardians towards school health care in Saudi Arabia

Diabetes Res Clin Pract. 2023 Oct:204:110901. doi: 10.1016/j.diabres.2023.110901. Epub 2023 Sep 10.

Authors

Affiliations

¹ Research and Planning Unit, General Directorate of School Health, Ministry of Health, Riyadh, Saudi Arabia.
² Research and Planning Unit, General Directorate of School Health, Ministry of Health, Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. Electronic address: abdullahalkattan@gmail.com.
³ Research Department, Assistant Agency for Preventive Health, Ministry of Health, Riyadh, Saudi Arabia.
⁴ Department of Research, Assisting Deputyship for Primary Health Care, Ministry of Health, Riyadh, Saudi Arabia.
⁵ Department of Telemedicine, General Directorate of Medical Consultations, Ministry of Health, Riyadh, Saudi Arabia.
⁶ Department of Research, Assisting Deputyship for Primary Health Care, Ministry of Health, Riyadh, Saudi Arabia; Department of Family Medicine, College of Medicine, Al-Imam Mohammad Bin Saud Islamic University, Riyadh, Saudi Arabia.
⁷ Research and Planning Unit, General Directorate of School Health, Ministry of Health, Riyadh, Saudi Arabia; Department of Community, Environmental and Occupational Medicine, Faculty of Medicine, Zagazig University, Zagazig, Egypt.

PMID: 37699476
DOI: 10.1016/j.diabres.2023.110901

Abstract

Aims: This study aimed to assess the quality of life of schoolchildren with type 1 diabetes mellitus (T1DM) and determine their guardians' satisfaction of diabetes health care in Saudi Arabian schools.

Methods: A cross-section multicenter study was conducted from February to July 2022 among Schoolchildren with T1DM in Saudi Arabia. The study included T1DM school children aged 6-18 years. The patients' health-related quality of life (HRQoL) data were collected and determined using a modified version of the PedsQL 3.0 Diabetes Module.

Results: The grand total median PedQL-DM score among the included participants (N = 283) was 64.7, while items related to diabetes symptoms and diabetes management were 61.1 and 68.7, respectively. Schoolchildren who have lower HbA1c levels and take care of regular monitoring of their blood glucose showed significantly better quality of life concerning diabetes symptoms. A significant number of guardians claimed they were not satisfied with the current status of diabetes management at schools.

Conclusions: The overall HRQoL among schoolchildren with T1DM was average and acceptable to some extent. The PedsQL-DM median score was higher among those who received health care during school time. The guardians' satisfaction of diabetes health care was low, emphasizing the role of health clinics in schools.

Keywords: Health status; Quality of life; School care; Schoolchildren; Type-I diabetes mellitus.

Publication types

Multicenter Study

MeSH terms

Child
Diabetes Mellitus, Type 1* / therapy
Humans
Personal Satisfaction
Quality of Life*
Saudi Arabia
Surveys and Questionnaires