'Much more convenient, just as effective': Experiences of starting continuous glucose monitoring remotely following Type 1 diabetes diagnosis.

AIM: Initiating continuous glucose monitoring (CGM) shortly after Type 1 diabetes diagnosis has glycaemic and quality of life benefits for youth with Type 1 diabetes and their families. The SARS-CoV-2 pandemic led to a rapid shift to virtual delivery of CGM initiation visits. We aimed to understand parents' experiences receiving virtual care to initiate CGM within 30 days of diagnosis. METHODS: We held focus groups and interviews using a semi-structured interview guide with parents of youth who initiated CGM over telehealth within 30 days of diagnosis during the SARS-CoV-2 pandemic. Questions aimed to explore experiences of starting CGM virtually. Groups and interviews were audio-recorded, transcribed and analysed using thematic analysis. RESULTS: Participants were 16 English-speaking parents (age 43 ± 6 years; 63% female) of 15 youth (age 9 ± 4 years; 47% female; 47% non-Hispanic White, 20% Hispanic, 13% Asian, 7% Black, 13% other). They described multiple benefits of the virtual visit including convenient access to high-quality care; integrating Type 1 diabetes care into daily life; and being in the comfort of home. A minority experienced challenges with virtual care delivery; most preferred the virtual format. Participants expressed that clinics should offer a choice of virtual or in-person to families initiating CGM in the future. CONCLUSION: Most parents appreciated receiving CGM initiation education via telehealth and felt it should be an option offered to all families. Further efforts can continue to enhance CGM initiation teaching virtually to address identified barriers.

An Evaluation of Point-of-Care HbA1c, HbA1c Home Kits, and Glucose Management Indicator: Potential Solutions for Telehealth Glycemic Assessments.

During the COVID-19 pandemic, fewer in-person clinic visits resulted in fewer point-of-care (POC) HbA1c measurements. In this sub-study, we assessed the performance of alternative glycemic measures that can be obtained remotely, such as HbA1c home kits and Glucose Management Indicator (GMI) values from Dexcom Clarity. Home kit HbA1c (n = 99), GMI, (n = 88), and POC HbA1c (n = 32) were collected from youth with T1D (age 9.7 ± 4.6 years). Bland-Altman analyses and Lin's concordance correlation coefficient (ρc) were used to characterize the agreement between paired HbA1c measures. Both the HbA1c home kit and GMI showed a slight positive bias (mean difference 0.18% and 0.34%, respectively) and strong concordance with POC HbA1c (ρc = 0.982 [0.965, 0.991] and 0.823 [0.686, 0.904], respectively). GMI showed a slight positive bias (mean difference 0.28%) and fair concordance (ρc = 0.750 [0.658, 0.820]) to the HbA1c home kit. In conclusion, the strong concordance of GMI and home kits to POC A1c measures suggest their utility in telehealth visits assessments. Although these are not candidates for replacement, these measures can facilitate telehealth visits, particularly in the context of other POC HbA1c measurements from an individual.

Relationship Between Moderate-to-Vigorous Physical Activity and Glycemia Among Young Adults with Type 1 Diabetes and Overweight or Obesity: Results from the Advancing Care for Type 1 Diabetes and Obesity Network (ACT1ON) Study.

Aims: Using data from the ACT1ON study, we conducted secondary analyses to assess the relationship between minutes of moderate-to-vigorous physical activity (MVPA) and glycemia in adults with type 1 diabetes (T1D) and overweight or obesity. Materials and Methods: Participants (n = 66) with T1D provided measures of glycemia (hemoglobin A1c [HbA1c], percent of time below range <70 mg/dL, time-in-range [TIR 70-180 mg/dL], and time above range [TAR >180 mg/dL]) and self-reported physical activity (Global Physical Activity Questionnaire [GPAQ] and Previous Day Physical Activity Recalls [PDPAR]) at baseline, 3, 6, and 9 months postintervention. Wearable activity data were available for a subset of participants (n = 27). Associations were estimated using mixed effects regression models adjusted for design, demographic, clinical, and dietary covariates. Results: Among young adults 19-30 years of age with a baseline HbA1c of 7.9% ± 1.4% and body mass index of 30.3 (interquartile range 27.9, 33.8), greater habitual weekly MVPA minutes were associated with higher HbA1c through the GPAQ (P < 0.01) and wearable activity data (P = 0.01). We did not observe a significant association between habitual MVPA and any continuous glucose monitoring metrics. Using PDPAR data, however, we observed that greater daily MVPA minutes were associated with more TAR (P < 0.01) and reduced TIR (P < 0.01) on the day following reported physical activity. Conclusions: Among young adults with T1D and overweight or obesity, increased MVPA was associated with worsened glycemia. As physical activity is vital to cardiovascular health and weight management, additional research is needed to determine how to best support young adults with T1D and overweight or obesity in their efforts to increase physical activity. Clinical Trial Registration number: NCT03651622.