Exploratory analysis of the relationships among different methods of assessing adherence and glycemic control in youth with type 1 diabetes mellitus

Abstract

Objectives: The present study examined four methods of assessing diabetes adherence (self-report, diary measure, electronic monitoring, and provider rating) within a population of youth with Type I Diabetes Mellitus (T1DM).

Methods: Comparisons were conducted among the four methods of assessing diabetes adherence. Associations among the seven different measures of blood glucose monitoring (BGM) and HbA1c were examined. An exploratory stepwise regression analysis was conducted to determine the best predictors of glycemic control (i.e., Hemoglobin A1c; HbA1c) while controlling for relevant demographic variables.

Results: The adherence measures appeared to be interrelated. The relationships between many of the BGM measures and HbA1c demonstrated a medium effect size. The Self Care Inventory (SCI) adjusted global score was the strongest predictor of HbA1c, even after taking the demographic variables into account.

Conclusions: The SCI is a robust, easy-to-use, and cost-efficient measure of adherence that has a strong relationship to HbA1c. Demographic variables are important to examine within the context of different methods of assessing adherence. The research methodology utilized to assess both general diabetes adherence and more specific behavioral measurements of BGM should be clearly documented in future studies to ensure accurate interpretation of results.