The purpose of this study was to determine the health/health risk behaviors of a group of Turkish adolescents with type 1 diabetes (T1D) to determine the prevalence and explore the exact effect of these behaviors on glycemic control (GC). A total of 210 adolescents (age 12-20 years; diabetes duration > 6 months; no additional comorbidities), completed a self-administered questionnaire (including some questions from Health Behavior in School-aged Children study questionnaire). Subjects were divided into two groups based on the hemoglobin A1c (HbA1c) levels, measured in the last 3 months: good GC (HbA1c < 8%) and poor GC (HbAc1≥8%). Chi-square tests and backward stepwise logistic regression analysis were used in statistical analyses. Of the patients, 57 had good GC and 153 had poor GC. The results of the backward stepwise logistic regression analysis indicated that being overweight and frequent electronic media use were risk factors for poor GC, whereas computer use for homework for long period of time (≥2 hours/day) was found to be a protective factor in terms of GC. Screening adolescents in terms of health/health risk behaviors such as frequent electronic media use, and giving adolescents health responsibilities should be an integral part of the follow-up of these patients, and intervention programs that lead to behavioral changes should be developed.

Keywords: adolescent, glycemic control, health behavior, health risk behavior, type 1 diabetes