Contribution for Validation of a Questionnaire about Carbohydrate Count and Insulin Dosage in Youth with Type 1 Diabetes Intensive Insulin Therapy

Introduction: In the absence of an instrument in Portugal that tests the knowledge about carbohydrate count and insulin dosage, the present study aimed at the translation, cross-cultural adaptation and validation of the PedCarbQuiz questionnaire. Material and Methods: Since PedCarbQuiz is an instrument developed and validated for the young American population, it was translated and adapted into the Portuguese language and culture. Subsequently, this version was applied to 65 caregivers of children and adolescents with type 1 diabetes mellitus who attended to a nutrition appointment. The response rate obtained was 76.9%. Results: The mean PedCarbQuiz final score was 81.5% +/- 10.2% (50.6%-96.8%). Cronbach a was 0.80 and the correlation of split halves was positive and statistically significant (rho<0.001), which confirms the validation and reliability of the portuguese version. It was also verified that male patients had lower final scores than female patients (rho=0.057). Conclusion: Despite the constraints related to the Portuguese population representativity, this version of the PedCarbQuiz was statistically validated, and it may be considered a useful tool in monitoring and optimizing key competences related to carbohydrate count for the treatment of type 1 diabetes mellitus.