Association of physical activity level with depression, anxiety, and quality of life in children with type 1 diabetes mellitus.

Abstract

Children with type 1 diabetes mellitus (T1DM) have low physical activity levels and are at high risk for psychosocial morbidities, including depression, heightened anxiety and low health-related quality of life (HRQoL). The aim of this study was to assess the associations of physical activity level with depression, anxiety, and HRQoL in children with T1DM. A cross-sectional study design, including children with T1DM aged between 8 and 12 years and healthy controls, was used. Physical activity (PA) level was assessed with the Physical Activity Questionnaire for Older Children (PAQ-C). Anxiety was screened by The Screen for Anxiety Related Emotional Disorders (SCARED) questionnaire. Depressive symptoms were evaluated using the Children's Depression Inventory (CDI). Quality of life was assessed with the The Pediatric Quality of Life Inventory 4.0 (PedsQL 4.0). Forty-seven T1DM and 55 healthy children were included with mean ages of 9.87±1.63 and 9.56±1.60 years, respectively. The T1DM group had significantly higher depression and anxiety score (p<0.05) and lower HRQoL-child self-report score (p<0.05, for all) compared with the control group. Significant associations were found between PAQ-C and PedsQL 4.0 (p<0.05), between SCARED and PedsQL 4.0 (p<0.05), and between HbA1c and PedsQL 4.0 (p<0.05) in children with T1DM. The result of our study suggested that only HRQoL was related to physical activity, anxiety and HbA1c in children with T1DM.