SOCIODEMOGRAPHIC RISK-FACTORS TO DISEASE-CONTROL IN CHILDREN WITH DIABETES

This study examined the effects of sociodemographic variables such as ethnicity, socioeconomic status (SES), and family structure on disease control in 58 children with diabetes stratified by ethnicity and SES. Three dependent variables were chosen to evaluate the disease control of the study participants, including HbA(1) values averaged over the year prior to study participation, number of hospitalizations, and num ber of hypoglycaemic blackouts. SES and family structure, but not ethn icity, were the primary risk factors to disease control. Children from low SES families were in poorer glycaemic control (mean HbA(1) = 12.6 %) and experienced more episodes of hypoglycaemia-related loss of cons ciousness (mean = 0.5 per patient) than did children from middle incom e families (mean HbA(1) = 10.4%; mean blackouts = 0.1 per patient). In addition, children from middle-class, two-parent families were in bet ter metabolic control than all other groups. These results indicate th at it may not be ethnicity per se, but other factors that often covary with ethnic status, that may pose a risk to the disease status of chi ldren and adolescents with diabetes.