Correlates of overweight and obesity in 5529 adolescents with type 1 diabetes: The T1D Exchange Clinic Registry.

AIMS: To describe the prevalence of overweight and obesity in adolescents with type 1 diabetes (T1D) and to examine the associations among socio-demographic, clinical, and self-management factors by weight status.

METHODS: We analyzed baseline data obtained from 5529 adolescents with T1D (mean age=15.4±1.4years, 51.8% male, 77.9% white, mean HbA1c=8.7±1.8%; 72mmol/mol) from the T1D Exchange Clinic Registry. We examined correlates of weight status using multinomial logistic regression analyses.

RESULTS: Overweight (22.9%) and obesity (13.1%) were prevalent in the overall sample and was highest among girls (40.8%) and adolescents of Hispanic/Latino race/ethnicity (46.1%). Female gender, older age, annual household income <$35,000 (vs. ≥$200,000), high school parental educational attainment (vs. ≥graduate degree), lower HbA1c, longer duration of T1D, higher amount of insulin, and a recent visit with an allied healthcare provider were independently and significantly associated with higher odds of overweight or obesity. Adolescents who self-rated their health as fair/poor (vs. excellent) had the highest odds of obesity (OR 3.92, 95% CI 2.53-6.06).

CONCLUSIONS: Overweight/obesity is prevalent among adolescents with T1D, especially among girls and those of diverse race/ethnicity. Some of these factors may be amenable to remediation and point to subgroups that can benefit from obesity prevention and management efforts.