Determinants of self-monitoring of blood glucose in patients with Type 1 diabetes: a multi-centre study in Brazil

Aim The aim of this study was to determine the relationship between the daily frequency of self‐monitoring of blood glucose and glycaemic control, demographic and socio‐economic status in patients with Type 1 diabetes under routine clinical care in Brazil. Methods This was a cross‐sectional, multi‐centre study conducted between December 2008 and December 2010 in 28 public clinics in 20 Brazilian cities. The data were obtained from 3176 patients, aged 22 ± 11.8 years, of whom 56.3% were female and 57.4% were Caucasian. The mean time since diabetes diagnosis was 11.7 ± 8.1 years. Results The prevalence of self‐monitoring of blood glucose was 88.5%. There was a significant increase in self‐monitoring frequency associated with female gender, lower ages, more intensive diabetes management and higher socio‐economic status. A correlation between HbA1c levels and the daily frequency of self‐monitoring was observed (rs = –0.13; P = 0.001). The mean HbA1c levels were related to the daily frequency of self‐monitoring (P