Guardian-Reported Impact of the COVID-19 Pandemic on the Lifestyle of Children with Diabetes Mellitus

Abstract

Introduction: The coronavirus disease-2019 (COVID-19) pandemic has had an unprecedented impact on the lives and lifestyles of people of all ages worldwide. Lifestyle has an essential role in the management of diabetes mellitus in children. Methods: The study was carried out at a tertiary care centre in India. A telehealth survey was conducted among the parents/guardians of children with diabetes to study the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic. The survey evaluated the effects on lifestyle, diabetes management and challenges in connecting to a new telemedicine programme. Results: The survey was completed by guardians of 91 patients. The mean age of the patients was 13.0 ± 3.8 years in boys and 11.9 ± 4.5 years in girls. Fifty-seven per cent of them were boys, and 63.7% stayed in rural areas. The pandemic has resulted in a significant increase in screen time and sleep duration. The median non-educational screen time has gone up from 1.00 (0.5-2.0) to 2.50 (1.0-4.0) h. The mean sleep duration in children increased from 9.1 ± 1.4 to 9.7 ± 1.4 h. Telemedicine services have been established with minimum resources, but they have limitations, and awareness about them is also limited. Conclusion: The COVID-19 pandemic has made the lifestyle of children with diabetes more sedentary. Some of them have also faced challenges with regard to diabetes-related supplies and management. It would be fair to anticipate more complications related to this sedentary lifestyle in the future and work towards identifying and treating them.