Evaluation of Quality of Life in Children and Adolescents with Type 1 Diabetes during the COVID-19 Pandemic

Abstract Background COVID-19 was announced as a global pandemic in 2020. During the COVID-19 pandemic, children with chronic conditions, especially type 1 diabetes, were expected to be at greater risk of experiencing negative emotions such as uncertainty, distraction, anger, and fear. Objective To evaluate the quality of life of type 1 diabetic children and adolescents using the pediatric quality of life (PedQOL) questionnaire during the COVID-19 pandemic. Methods This is a questionnaire-based cross-sectional study that included 286 patients with type 1 diabetes who were regularly following up at the Pediatric and Adolescent Diabetes Unit (PADU), Children’s Hospital, Ain Shams University. Results A total of two hundred eighty-six patients were included in the study: 141 males (49.3%), 145 females (50.7%), with a mean age of 11.4 ±3.5 years. From the surveyed participants, 261 (91.3%) were on multiple daily injections, and 25 (8.7%) were on subcutaneous continuous infusion (SCCI). On the PedQOL questionnaire, no significant difference was shown as regards mode of insulin injection in pediatric quality of life subscales and total scores. There was better quality of life in children aged 12 years or more with a mean total score of 65.72 over those younger than 12 years with a mean total score of 65.16 and the PedQOL subscales as following PedQOL treatment barriers score (p = 0.025), the PedQOL treatment adherence score (p = 0.025), the PedQOL worry score (p = 0.025), and the PedQOL talking score (p = 0.001). Conclusion Participants aged 12 years or more had better quality of life over those younger than 12 years during the COVID-19 pandemic, maybe because of better education and better self monitoring. There was no difference in quality of life between the studied participants as regards the mode of insulin injection.