Indicators of Healthcare Transition Progress Among College Youth With Type 1 Diabetes

Adolescents with chronic diseases must navigate changing healthcare needs in college and beyond. This study examined the ability of college youth with type 1 diabetes (T1D) to achieve transition milestones and ascertained sociodemographic predictors of a successful healthcare transition (HCT).

College youth with T1D were recruited via social media and direct outreach to participate in a web-based study, during which they answered questions about the HCT process. Descriptive statistics and multivariable regression were used to evaluate HCT measures as a function of sociodemographic variables.

Nearly two-thirds of participants (N = 138) had discussions with their providers about changing healthcare needs (65.9%) and transferring care to adult physicians (64.5%); less than one-third (27.9%) discussed obtaining health insurance as an adult. Females were more likely than males to discuss transitioning to adult providers (70.3% vs 40.7%, P < .01). Those covered on a parent's insurance (vs other) plan were more likely to receive help with finding adult providers (79.3% vs 44.4%, P = .04) but less likely to discuss how to obtain health insurance (25.0% vs 61.1%, P < .01). These differences persisted after adjustment.

Improvement is needed with regard to college youth with T1D becoming autonomous managers of their own care. Gaps were found in their experiences of discussing changing healthcare needs, locating adult providers, and obtaining health insurance-especially among those who were younger, male, and not covered under parental insurance. Efforts to improve the HCT process should focus particularly on these subgroups to advance healthcare delivery in this population.