Determination of the relationship between mothers’ carbohydrate counting knowledge and glycemic control in children with type 1 diabetes

Summary Background Carbohydrate counting (CC) supports glycemic control. In children with type 1 diabetes mellitus (T1DM), mothers are usually the primary caregivers and parental knowledge and involvement play a key role in diabetes management. Objective This study aims to evaluate mothers’ knowledge of CC and the impact of their knowledge level on glycemic control (glycated hemoglobin, HbA1c) in children and adolescents with T1DM. Methods The research was an analytical cross-sectional study conducted at the Pediatric Endocrinology Polyclinic. This study was conducted with 102 mothers of children and adolescents with T1DM. Mothers’ CC knowledge was assessed using a test designed by the researchers. All participants completed demographic and clinical questionnaires. The measurement of HbA1c was used to evaluate glycemic control, where HbA1c levels < 7.5% represented good control and ≥ 7.5% indicated poor control. Multiple linear regression analysis was performed to evaluate the determinants of HbA1c (%). Results The mean HbA1c level of children and adolescents was 8.3% ± 1.87, with only 35.3% achieving good glycemic control. The study demonstrated that mothers possess a certain level of CC knowledge. Children and adolescents of mothers who had received a university education had lower HbA1c levels ( p < 0.05). There was no significant relationship between mothers’ education levels and their CC knowledge score. The HbA1c levels showed a negative correlation with mothers’ CC knowledge score (r:−0.315). Mothers of children with good glycemic control had a significantly higher CC knowledge score ( p < 0.05). The CC knowledge score of mothers had a negative correlation with HbA1c (%). In multiple regression analyses mothers’ education levels (B:−0.318, p < 0.05) and CC knowledge score (B:−0.177, p < 0.05) were significant predictors of HbA1c, explaining 20.8% of the variance. Conclusion The findings suggest that there is a need to enhance mothers’ CC knowledge. Mothers’ CC knowledge levels were found to affect their children’s glycemic control. Therefore, regular training should be provided to improve healthy eating habits and accurate carbohydrate counting knowledge, and mothers’ knowledge levels should be assessed to address any gaps.