(HealthDay News) — Rates of overweight and obesity in adults with type 1 diabetes are similar to rates in the general population, while those with type 1 diabetes are least likely to increase physical activity or reduce caloric intake to manage overweight or obesity, according to a research letter published online Feb. 14 in the Annals of Internal Medicine.
Michael Fang, PhD, from the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health in Baltimore, and colleagues characterized the prevalence and management of overweight and obesity among adults with type 1 diabetes versus the general population using data from the National Health Interview Survey. Data were included for 128,571 nonpregnant adults with available measures of diabetes status and body mass index.
The researchers found that 64% of adults without diabetes had overweight or obesity in 2016 to 2021, compared with 62 and 86% of those with type 1 and type 2 diabetes, respectively. Among adults with overweight or obesity, lifestyle recommendations were received more frequently by those with type 1 diabetes and less frequently by those with type 2 diabetes. The likelihood of increasing physical activity or reducing caloric intake to manage overweight or obesity was lowest for persons with type 1 diabetes.
“Among US adults with type 1 diabetes, the burden of overweight and obesity is substantial and remains poorly managed,” the authors write. “The development of more comprehensive clinical guidelines, with an emphasis on individualized patient education, may improve weight management in these patients.”
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