Disordered Eating, Body Mass, and Glycemic Control in Adolescents With Type 1 Diabetes
- Lisa J. Meltzer, MS1,
- Suzanne Bennett Johnson, PHD4,
- Jason M. Prine, BS2,
- Richard A. Banks, MD5,
- Paul M. Desrosiers, MD5 and
- Janet H. Silverstein, MD3
- 1Clinical and Health Psychology
- 2Psychology
- 3Pediatrics, and the
- 4Center for Pediatric Psychology and Family Studies, University of Florida, Gainesville, Florida
- 5Nemours Children’s Clinic, Orlando, Florida
Abstract
OBJECTIVE—To examine the relationship between disordered eating attitudes and behaviors, BMI, and glycemic control in adolescents with type 1 diabetes.
RESEARCH DESIGN AND METHODS—In a cross-sectional design, 152 adolescents (ages 11–19 years) completed three scales from the Eating Disorders Inventory (EDI): Body Dissatisfaction, Drive for Thinness, and Bulimia. All subjects had diabetes for >1 year. Glycemic control was assessed by glycosylated hemoglobin (HbA1c). Height and weight were measured to assess BMI.
RESULTS—Adolescents with type 1 diabetes did not report more disordered eating attitudes and behaviors than the normative comparison sample. Male subjects with type 1 diabetes reported fewer symptoms of bulimia and female subjects with type 1 diabetes reported greater body satisfaction than the normative group. A higher BMI was a significant predictor of greater body dissatisfaction, more so for female than male subjects. Symptoms of bulimia were associated with older adolescence and female sex. Those with more symptoms of bulimia were also more likely to have a higher BMI. Sex (female) and body dissatisfaction (more dissatisfied) predicted a stronger desire to be thin. Longer duration of disease, more symptoms of bulimia, and obesity all predicted poorer glycemic control.
CONCLUSIONS—Female patients aged 13–14 years seem to be at greatest risk for developing disordered eating patterns. Using the clinical cutoff score (≥5) of the EDI Bulimia subscale as a screener in diabetes clinics may help identify adolescents whose disordered eating patterns are likely to compromise their glycemic control.
Footnotes
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Address correspondence and reprint requests to Suzanne Bennett Johnson, PhD, Center for Pediatric Psychology and Family Studies, University of Florida Health Science Center, P.O. Box 100165, Gainesville, FL 32610-0165. E-mail: sjohnson{at}hp.ufl.edu.
Received for publication 23 May 2000 and accepted in revised form 20 October 2000.
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