Diabetes

Diabetes is one of the most common chronic conditions in children. Rates of type 1 diabetes and type 2 diabetes among children and youth have been on the rise globally. Canada has one of the highest incidence rates of type 1 diabetes for children under 14 years of age.

The CHEO Diabetes team is always striving to improve the care that we provide to the over 900 children and youth that we follow. One way that we improve care for our patients is through research. The clinical research program at CHEO focuses on several different aspects of diabetes including, but not limited to:

Clinical trials to prevent type 1 diabetes
Better understanding of the natural history of diabetes and trends in management over time
How the use of technology such as pump therapy and continuous glucose monitoring can optimize glucose control and quality of life
Improving care delivery through improved access (e.g. using technology), educational needs, and addressing social determinants of health
Transition from pediatric to adult diabetes care
Improving overall wellness and quality of life for children and youth with diabetes
Improving complications in adolescents with type 2 diabetes

Current Projects:

Sweet Study:

ADDAM Study:

iCARE Study:

Research Projects

Control-IQ Technology Positively Impacts Patient Reported Outcome Measures and Glycemic Control in Youth with Type 1 Diabetes in a Real-World Setting
12/04/2023

Initiation of Control-IQ technology in a real-world setting significantly reduced the impact of diabetes on daily life while simultaneously improving glycemic control
Sociodemographic Factors Associated With Objectively Measured Moderate- to Vigorous-intensity Physical Activity in Adults With Type 2 Diabetes: Cross-sectional Results From the Canadian Health Measures Survey (2007 to 2017)
05/07/2022

Sociodemographic factors are strongly associated with levels of MVPA in adults with type 2 diabetes. Sociodemographic information should be routinely collected by clinicians and used to inform more tailored and effective interventions for this patient population.
Social determinants of health linked with patient portal use in pediatric diabetes
12/04/2022
Patient and family perspective of a Pre-Transition Visit in a pediatric tertiary care diabetes clinic
31/01/2022

Overall, we found that both patients and their families had high levels of satisfaction with the Pre-T Visit which reinforced this as a good use of resources (ie, patient, administrative and educator time) in our clinic, with respect to the patient experience. These findings were consistent across patients despite differences in age, gender, diabetes duration and A1C. Furthermore, patients reported high levels of engagement/participation in the visit.
Role of Sex and Gender in Access to Care and Cardiovascular Complications of Individuals with Diabetes Mellitus
01/10/2021

Country-specific gender related factors and gender disparity must be targeted for improving health status and access to care of patients with DM.
Psychiatric disorders in emerging adults with diabetes transitioning to adult care: a retrospective cohort study
12/02/2021

Prolonged gaps in care during transfer to adult care are common and may be associated with increased psychiatric disorder risk. Developmental factors associated with adolescence and emerging adulthood may further amplify this risk.
Timing of CGM initiation in pediatric diabetes: The CGM TIME Trial
23/10/2020

CGM adherence was higher after 6 months when initiated at same time as pump therapy compared to starting CGM 6 months after pump therapy. Greater CGM adherence was associated with improved HbA1c.
The impact of limited and strategic blood glucose monitoring on metabolic control in a type 1 diabetes clinic in Central India
01/05/2020

This study assessed whether the use of two SMBG tests per day improves glycemic control, measured by a change in HbA1c, in youth with T1D followed at the DREAM Trust (DT) in Nagpur, India.
Effect of Hydrolyzed Infant Formula vs Conventional Formula on Risk of Type 1 Diabetes: The TRIGR Randomized Clinical Trial
01/01/2018

Among infants at risk for type 1 diabetes, weaning to a hydrolyzed formula compared with a conventional formula did not reduce the cumulative incidence of type 1 diabetes after median follow-up for 11.5 years. These findings do not support a need to revise the dietary recommendations for infants at risk for type 1 diabetes.
Management of Type 1 diabetes in a limited resource context: A study of the diabetes research education and management trust model in Nagpur, Central India
04/10/2017

The DT charitable programme overcomes social status, gender inequalities and experience of social stigma to provide life-saving treatment to children with T1D in central India.
Social Determinants of Health on Glycemic Control in Pediatric Type 1 Diabetes
03/04/2013

Measures of the SDH comprising Material and Social Deprivation were significantly associated with suboptimal glycemic control in our pediatric T1D cohort. Use of insulin pump therapy also predicted A1C and may have a moderating effect on these relationships.