Background Recent research indicates that patients with type 1 diabetes (T1D) are at higher risk for disordered eating behaviors (DEBs) than their peers without diabetes. The present study aimed to explore the prevalence of DEBs in a sample of Italian children and adolescents with T1D and in matched-pair healthy controls during the COVID-19 lockdown. Methods In a cross-sectional study, 138 children and adolescents with T1D (aged 8.01–19.11 years, 65 boys) attending a Southern Italian diabetic service and 276 age- and gender-matched healthy peers voluntarily completed an online survey about eating behaviors (ChEAT and EAT-26), anthropometric characteristics, and clinical characteristics. Results 8.69% ( N = 12) of participants with T1D and 13.4% ( N = 37) of controls had ChEAT/EAT-26 scores indicating presence of DEBs, with no differences between patients—whether children (total ChEAT score F(1, 157) = .104, p = .748) or adolescents (total EAT-26 score F(1, 255) = .135, p = .731)—and healthy peers. zBMI values were lower than those measured in the latest diabetes visit ( p < .0001), while HbA1c values remained unchanged ( p = .110). In both groups, adolescents had lower Oral Control scores than children (T1D: F(1, 138) = 20.411, p < .0001, η 2 = .132, controls: F(1, 276) = 18.271, p < .0001, η 2 = .063); additionally, gender (female) and age were found to be significant predictors of several ChEAT/EAT-26 scores. Conclusions This exploratory study suggested that children and adolescents with T1D did not experience more DEB symptoms during the COVID-19 lockdown compared to healthy controls. Results revealed DEBs as more of a female adolescent developmental issue rather than a result of the challenges of living with a chronic illness under quarantine measures. Possible effects of parental pressure on their children’s eating behaviors in the context of home confinement and of using a non-diabetes-specific measure to assess DEBs are discussed.

中文翻译：

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COVID-19 封锁期间 1 型糖尿病青少年饮食行为紊乱：一项探索性研究

背景 最近的研究表明，1 型糖尿病 (T1D) 患者比非糖尿病患者的饮食行为失调 (DEB) 风险更高。本研究旨在探讨在 COVID-19 封锁期间意大利 T1D 儿童和青少年样本以及配对健康对照中 DEB 的患病率。方法 在一项横断面研究中，参加意大利南部糖尿病服务的 138 名患有 T1D 的儿童和青少年（年龄 8.01-19.11 岁，65 名男孩）和 276 名年龄和性别匹配的健康同龄人自愿完成了一项有关饮食行为的在线调查 (ChEAT和 EAT-26）、人体测量特征和临床特征。结果 8.69% ( N = 12) 的 T1D 参与者和 13.4% ( N = 37) 的对照者的 ChEAT/EAT-26 评分表明存在 DEB，患者之间没有差异 - 无论是儿童（总 ChEAT 评分 F(1, 157) = .104, p = .748) 或青少年（EAT-26 总分 F(1, 255) = .135, p = .731）以及健康同龄人。zBMI 值低于最近一次糖尿病就诊时测量的值 ( p < .0001)，而 HbA1c 值保持不变 ( p = .110)。在两组中，青少年的口腔控制分数均低于儿童（T1D：F(1, 138) = 20.411，p < .0001，η 2 = .132，对照组：F(1, 276) = 18.271，p < .0001 , η 2 = .063); 此外，还发现性别（女性）和年龄是多个 ChEAT/EAT-26 评分的重要预测因素。结论 这项探索性研究表明，与健康对照组相比，患有 T1D 的儿童和青少年在 COVID-19 封锁期间并未出现更多 DEB 症状。结果显示，DEB更多地是女性青少年的发育问题，而不是隔离措施下患有慢性疾病的挑战的结果。讨论了在家庭禁闭和使用非糖尿病特异性措施评估 DEB 的情况下父母压力对孩子饮食行为的可能影响。