Introduction: Kuwait has one of the highest global incidence rates of T1D, many of which are poorly controlled. Therefore, the Dasman Diabetes Institute (DDI) has culturally adapted the Kids in Control of Food (KICk-OFF) program, aiming to improve glycemic control. The objective is to investigate the effect of the program on HbA1c in youth with T1D in Kuwait.
Methods: Data were analyzed retrospectively from 138 participants aged 11-16 years (mean age ± SD: 13.6 ± 1.9 years, 49.3% girls) that attended the program since 2019. The 4-day structured program focused on dose adjustment, carb counting, and sick/exercise day rules. Also, participants are required to attend a 1-day refresher course after 6 months. Paired t-tests were conducted using SAS software, with a significance level set at p <0.05.
Results: Six months after completing the program, there was a significant reduction in HbA1c, from 9.3% ± 1.8 to 8.9% ± 1.7 (p-value <0.001). Only 28% of participants attended the refresher course. Attendance was more likely among participants who did not achieve a reduction in HbA1c after 6 months (p-value <0.001) (Table 1).
Conclusion: The culturally adapted KICk-OFF program shows potential for improving HbA1c in youth with T1D. Better strategies are needed to improve attendance to the refresher course, regardless of HbA1c change. Further investigations with a larger sample and longer follow-up are warranted.
R. Almatrook: None. B. Allahou: None. Z. Rahme: None. N. Taha: None. A. Alsarraf: None. M. Almahdi: None.
