The 2020 American Diabetes Association’s Standards of Care underscore the importance of psychosocial screening in all persons with type 1 diabetes as an important step in optimized type 1 diabetes management. Youth with type 1 diabetes from low socioeconomic backgrounds and from minority racial groups have increased psychosocial burden but often do not meet psychosocial screening guidelines. We present findings from psychosocial measures in a predominately Latino and low socioeconomic cohort. Our findings demonstrate:
(1) higher global health scores were strongly associated with both lower HbA1c and more frequent self-monitoring blood glucose
(2) given that the study population was predominately young adults, these are important considerations in the transition of care
(3) successful psychosocial screening in a resource limited urban hospital
(4) associations between HbA1c and SMBG and psychosocial measures support increasing attention to assessing and optimizing positive psychological states as a means to improve diabetes outcomes
Our motivation for this study is to demonstrate that psychosocial screening is both clinically meaningful and feasible, particularly in this age of transition. Therefore, diabetes clinics should strive to meet national and international guidelines by screening all persons with type 1 diabetes for psychosocial stressors as a means of improved type 1 diabetes care.
Consistent with the aim of Diabetes Spectrum, this manuscript aims to reach health care providers to promote better management of persons with type 1 diabetes, including those from the most vulnerable subgroups. We look forward to hearing from your editorial office regarding this manuscript. Thank you for your consideration. |
