What question did this study set out to answer?

The study aims to understand the prevalence of food insecurity and disordered eating behaviors in adolescents with diabetes and evaluate the impact of dietary counseling.

June 7, 2026

1527-P: Prevalence of Food Insecurity and Impact of Dietary Counseling on Disordered Eating Behaviors in Children and Adolescents with Diabetes

Key Points

The study aims to understand the prevalence of food insecurity and disordered eating behaviors in adolescents with diabetes and evaluate the impact of dietary counseling.
Screened 699 diabetes patients aged 12-21 for disordered eating behaviors using DEPS-R survey.
Assessed food insecurity using the Social Needs Screening tool.
Conducted dietary interventions by registered dietitians for those identified with disordered eating behaviors.
33.5% of participants screened positive for disordered eating behaviors.
Higher incidence of disordered eating behaviors in T2D (66%) versus T1D (21%), p<0.001.
Statistically significant reduction in positive screens after dietary intervention (100% versus 65.4%, p=0.004).

Abstract

Introduction and Objective: Diabetes is associated with a higher risk of disordered eating behaviors (DEB), resulting in suboptimal glycemic control and poor psychological outcomes. Emerging evidence indicates that food insecurity is associated with binge and picky eating in children and adolescents. Our study aims to understand the prevalence of food insecurity and DEB and to evaluate the changes of DEB with dietary intervention in patients with diabetes. Methods: Patients with diabetes, ages 12-21, were screened for DEB between 09/2024-11/2025, using the validated survey Diabetes Eating Problem Survey - Revised (DEPS-R). Patients with a positive score (≥20 for T1D; ≥15 for T2D) were assessed by registered dietitians (RD). Food insecurity was assessed using the Social Needs Screening tool. Results: A total of 699 patients completed the DEPS-R survey, of which 33.5% screened positive for DEB. Incidence of DEB was higher in T2D compared to those with T1D (66% -vs. 21%, p=0.001). There were 72 patients who completed the survey twice during the study period. Of those with a positive screen, 38% have T1D and 61.5% have T2D, and 16.6% endorsed food insecurity. Patients who screened positive for DEB were more likely to experience food insecurity compared to those who did not; however, the difference was not statistically significant (30.7% vs. 8.7%, p=0.062). While there was no difference in weight, Hgb A1c, or GLP-1 use among patients with positive screens on the DEPS-R between survey completions, there was a statistically significant reduction in positive screens before and after RD intervention (100% vs 65.4%, p=0.004). Conclusion: This study highlighted the prevalence of food insecurity in children and adolescents with diabetes and DEB. It also found that dietary education by RDs is a critical component to help reduce DEB in this population. Disclosure A. Sanders: None. M. Allen: None. K. Hynes: None. A. Nip: None.

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Cite This Study

SANDERS et al. (Fri,) studied this question.

synapsesocial.com/papers/6a250ae37def13d035e1aec9 https://doi.org/https://doi.org/10.2337/db26-1527-p

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