P-58: Parental educational attainment and HbA1c beyond the first year after type 1 diabetes diagnosis in children: a multicenter study from Latin America
V Hirschler, , CODIAPED Study GroupAbstract
Introduction
Achieving optimal metabolic control in children with type 1 diabetes (T1DM) is linked to both clinical and socioeconomic characteristics of patients and their families
Objectives
to determine the association between the parental education level and metabolic control in children beyond the first year of T1DM
Methods
A cross-sectional, observational, multicenter study (October 2024–April 2025) of children aged 8–17 years with T1DM duration of≥1 year was conducted at 10 pediatric diabetes centers in Argentina and Chile. Age, sex, diabetes duration, parental education (none, one, or both parents with completed high school or higher), family structure, BMI, daily insulin dose, and the two last HbA1c values were included.
Results
A total of 208 participants (107 males, 51.4%) aged 8.0 +2.8 years were included in the analysis. The median duration of T1DM was 4.5 years (IQR, 2.9–7.1). The median of the last two HbA1c was 8.0% (IQR, 7.3–9.1), equivalent to 64 mmol/mol. The last two HbA1c were significantly inversely correlated with parental education (r = -0.28;<0.01); z- height (r = -0.31;<0.01), and directly correlated with insulin dose (r = 0.36;<0.01); diabetes duration (r = 0.29;<0.01); and PAID score (r =0.32;<0.01). Multiple logistic regression analysis showed that higher parental education (none, one, or both parents with completed high school or higher) was significantly and inversely associated with HbA1c at or above the third quartile, after adjustment for confounding variables (OR = 0.47; 95% CI, 0.31–0.72). Multiple linear regression analysis demonstrated that higher parental educational attainment was significantly associated with lower last two HbA1c levels (β = −0.41, p = 0.001) after adjustment for confounding variables.
Conclusions
Higher parental educational attainment was independently associated with lower HbA1c in Latin American Children with T1DM. Supporting families with lower levels of education may help reduce disparities in glycemic outcomes.