Iran Journal of Nursing

  Background and Aim: Type 1 diabetes is one of the most common chronic metabolic disorders during childhood and adolescence period and has potentially life-threatening outcomes. Nowadays, the increasing number of children and adolescents with diabetes necessitates rigorous treatment programs. Also, for evaluating treatment effectiveness in diabetic patients, it is important to explore the quality of life and its related factors. The aim of this study was to examine quality of life in young people with type 1 diabetes in relation to age and gender.

  Materials and Method: It was a cross-sectional descriptive correlational study with a sample of 70 young people with type 1 diabetes referred to educational health care centers of Tehran University of Medical Sciences. The subjects were selected through non-probability sampling by consecutive method. Data collection instruments were demographics questionnaire and Diabetes Quality of Life (DQOL) questionnaire modified for young people and data were analyzed using independent t-test.

  Results: The results showed that 52.1% of the patients were female and 47.9% were male. The age range of the patients was 11-18 years (mean age 14.94 ± 2.75) and the duration of disease was 1-15 years (mean 2.23 ± 0.79). There was no statistically significant difference between different age and gender groups in terms of life satisfaction, impact of diabetes on life and worries about diabetes.

  Conclusion: The present study showed that age and gender were not determinant factors for quality of life in young people with type 1 diabetes.