Eating behavior: do adolescents with diabetes eat differently compared to healthy adolescent?

Objective: Comparison between eating habits of 11 and 15 years
healthy adolescents and adolescents with type 1 diabetes in 18
countries worldwide.
The Health Behaviour in School-age children (HBSC) study, a
WHO collaborative cross-national study, (www.HBSC.org) has
started to evaluate different aspects of health of adolescents
world wide since 1983. As the diet is one of the corner stones of
the treatment of diabetes, the Hvidoere study group has
investigated whether eating habits in adolescents with type 1
diabetes (T1DM) differ from their healthy peers, in using the
same questions as developed by the HBSC study.
Methodology: Questionnaires were obtained in 18 countries by
both HBSC and HSG. Details on data collection for both groups
have been reported previously (1, 2). Results are given in age
standardized prevalences (percentages) by study and by sex as
well as age adjusted odds ratios between the two populations.
Results: In absolute numbers, 94387 healthy and 1483
adolescents with T1DM provided answers to the HBSC
questions. Significant differences were observed between the
countries as well between the healthy and the population with
T1DM with respect to the frequency of breakfast, fruit intake,
sweets and soft drinks. Vegetables intake was not significantly
different between adolescents with and without diabetes,
however between countries important differences were reported.
Conclusion: Within countries, adolescents with T1DM report a
healthier approach towards food intake compared with their
non diabetic peers. Between countries very important