Feeling in control of type 1 diabetes important for quality of life

Research from the Diabetes Forum survey shows that those of us that people with type 1 diabetes that feel in control of their diabetes score significantly higher satisfaction in quality of life and feel less anxiety over complications and hypos.
Many people with type 1 diabetes may put off certain elements of their diabetes management in an attempt to live a normal life but the research shows that in the long ru, ensuring you feel largely in control of the condition is a more effective way to feel better about life.
As is to be expected, a greater feeling of being in control of diabetes was associated with lower HbA1c values but not all feeling towards different aspects of diabetes followed such a linear trend.
When anxiety of hypos was assessed, it was less clearly associated with HbA1c values and those with HbA1c results of 6.0 to 8.9% had the higher scores for anxiety of hypos than people whose HbA1c values were under 6.0% or 9.0% and above.
A similar outcome was noticed with anxiety about complications except once people’s HbA1c rose above 10%, much higher rates of people experienced worry over complications.
If HbA1c levels are taken out of the analysis, an even clearer picture emerges that people who feel in control of their diabetes feel better about their life and have less worry about diabetic complications and hypoglycemia. The research also showed that feelings of being in control of diabetes grew in proportion with knowledge and understanding of diabetes.
The research suggests that maintaining a positive attitude and building a good understanding of diabetes are both important factors in maintaining a good quality of life in addition to helping towards diabetes control.