Characteristics of Children, Youth, and Young Adults With Diabetes: A Cross-Sectional Study in New Zealand Aotearoa

Abstract

Background: The prevalence of diabetes mellitus among children, youth, and young adults is increasing, yet limited information is known about the characteristics and management of these groups with Type 1 (T1D) and Type 2 (T2D) diabetes in primary care. The aim of the study is to explore the characteristics of people with T1D and T2D aged < 25 years across the Auckland and Waikato regions of New Zealand. Methods: Sociodemographic and clinical data were collected from electronic primary care records (February 2021-July 2022) of four primary healthcare organisations, with medication data sourced from the National Pharmaceutical dataset. Associations between sociodemographic and clinical data were conducted using chi-square and nonparametric ANOVA. Results: Of 1198 patients, 72% had T1D and 28% had T2D. People with T1D were evenly distributed by gender but more commonly of European descent (66.7%) compared to other ethnic groups. A higher proportion of T2D was observed in females (58.2%) compared to males (41.6%) and among Māori (38.2% vs. 20.3% European; p < 0.001). Over 95% of individuals with T2D were overweight/obese. Overall, 9.5% and 23.9% of individuals with T1D and T2D, respectively, were at target for HbA1c, though median HbA1c was higher for Māori and Pasifika compared to other ethnicities (p < 0.001). In T1D, 94.7% of individuals were dispensed insulin and 7.5% and 4.4% were dispensed angiotensin-converting enzyme (ACE) inhibitors and statins, respectively. In T2D, medication use included metformin (84.9%), insulin (76.1%), and SGLT2i/GLP1RA (59.5%). Conclusions: The increasing burden of diabetes among young individuals in New Zealand underscores the urgent need for comprehensive strategies to address obesity and socioeconomic disparities, especially among marginalised communities. Addressing socioeconomic factors such as affordable housing, living wages, and healthcare access may be important for improving diabetes outcomes, as these factors significantly influence overall childhood health and well-being.

Keywords: New Zealand; Type 1 diabetes; Type 2 diabetes; adolescent; children; medication; retrospective study; youth.