Predictors of Loss to Follow-Up among Children with Type 2 Diabetes

Youth with type 2 diabetes (T2D) have poor compliance with medical care. This study aimed to determine which demographic and clinical factors differ between youth with T2D who receive care in a pediatric diabetes center versus youth lost to follow-up for >18 months.

Data were analyzed from 496 subjects in the Pe-diatric Diabetes Consortium registry. Enrollment variables were selected a priori and analyzed with univariable and multivariable logistic regression models.

After a median of 1.3 years from enrollment, 55% of patients were lost to follow-up. The final model included age, race/ethnicity, parent education, and estimated distance to study site. The odds ratio (99% confidence interval) of loss to follow-up was 2.87 (1.34, 6.16) for those aged 15 to <18 years versus those aged 10 to <13 years and 6.57 (2.67, 16.15) for those aged ≥18 years versus those aged 10 to <13 years. Among patients living more than 50 miles from the clinic, the odds ra tio of loss to follow-up was 3.11 (1.14, 8.49) versus those living within 5 miles of the site.

Older adolescents with T2D are more likely to be lost to follow-up, but other socioeconomic factors were not significant predictors of clinic follow-up.