Disordered eating, body mass, and glycemic control in adolescents with type 1 diabetes

OBJECTIVE — To examine the relationship between disordered eating attitudes and behav-iors, BMI, and glycemic control in adolescents with type 1 diabetes. RESEARCH DESIGN AND METHODS — In a cross-sectional design, 152 adolescents (ages 11–19 years) completed three scales from the Eating Disorders Inventory (EDI): Body Dissatisfaction, Drive for Thinness, and Bulimia. All subjects had diabetes for.1 year. Glycemic control was assessed by glycosylated hemoglobin (HbA1c). Height and weight were measured to assess BMI. RESULTS — Adolescents with type 1 diabetes did not report more disordered eating attitudes and behaviors than the normative comparison sample. Male subjects with type 1 diabetes reported fewer symptoms of bulimia and female subjects with type 1 diabetes reported greater body satisfaction than the normative group. A higher BMI was a significant predictor of greater body dissatisfaction, more so for female than male subjects. Symptoms of bulimia were associ-ated with older adolescence and female sex. Those with more symptoms of bulimia were also more likely to have a higher BMI. Sex (female) and body dissatisfaction (more dissatisfied) predicted a stronger desire to be thin. Longer duration of disease, more symptoms of bulimia