Impact of type 1 diabetes mellitus on the academic performance of diabetic school children in Khartoum, Sudan

Abstract

Type 1 diabetes mellitus (T1DM) is the most common endocrine disorder in children. The glycated haemoglobin (HbA1C) level was found to be correlated with the academic skills and classroom attention in children with T1DM. This study aimed to assess the impact of T1DM status and control on the academic performance of school children. A cross-sectional survey was conducted among diabetic children attending two secondary care hospitals in Khartoum, Sudan. We applied the total coverage sampling method to include all T1DM patients who presented in the period from July to October 2016. A total of 122 T1DM children aged 6-18 years, who were registered as formal school students were included. Most of the participants (63.1%) had HbA1C levels more than 9.5% and near half of them (47.5%) had chronic T1DM-related complications. Academic performance was negatively correlated with higher HbA1C levels (rs = -0.192, p > 0.001) and longer duration of the illness (rs = -.362, p = 0.034). However, academic scores did not differ significantly between diabetic children with chronic complications and those without chronic complications (χ ² = 8.01, p = 0.091). This study showed that T1DM influenced the academic performance of school children.

Keywords: Academic performance; Children; School; Sudan; Type 1 diabetes mellitus.