The Effect of COVID-19 Pandemic on Quality of Life in Children with Type 1 Diabetes Mellitus and Their Families Using Insulin Infusion Pumps

Abstract

Objective: This study aimed to assess the impact of the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) pandemic on the quality of life (QOL) of children with type 1 Diabetes Mellitus (T1DM) and their families, specifically focusing on the effects of insulin infusion pumps. We also aimed to identify changes in both children's and parents' QOL during the pandemic period. Methods: This study utilized the KINDL (KINDer Lebensqualitätsfragebogen: Children’s QOL) questionnaire for the children, and the World Health Organization Quality of Life (WHOQOL)-BREF Turkish Version (TR) (WHO-QOL-BREF-TR) scale for their parents. Data were collected using Google Forms, with assessments performed before and during the pandemic. Results: The study included 61 participants, 38 of whom were female (62.3%), with a mean age of 12.7±2.9 years and a mean diabetes duration of 6.4±2.5 years. Pre-pandemic KINDL scores for "emotional health" and "school" were significantly higher than those during the pandemic (p=0.022 and p=0.002, respectively). Surprisingly, HbA1c levels improved during the pandemic compared to the pre-pandemic values (p