(Ivanhoe Newswire) -- A little intervention may go a long way in helping youth with type 1 diabetes.

Diabetes management includes blood sugar monitoring, physical activity, and dietary management. The blood sugar control in adolescents with type 1 diabetes deteriorates partly because of hormonal changes during puberty but also because patients don’t manage their disease properly. That can result in hospitalization and even death from kidney ketoacidosis, as well as physical damage that can lead to later complications.

Researchers looked at 81 patients with type 1 diabetes between the ages of 11 and 16. Participants were divided into two groups. One group received the usual care. The other had a “diabetes personal trainer” intervention. The intervention was designed to enhance the youth’s motivation and capability to manage their diabetes. The program consisted of six self-monitoring, goal-setting, and problem-solving sessions with trained non-professionals.
 

At both the short-term and one-year follow-ups, results showed the intervention worked well overall, but it seemed to work better in older kids.

Optimal diabetes management is a big undertaking for kids because they are still maturing cognitively and socially. Usually, their self-management skills are not well-developed. Even though there are concerns about how ready these adolescents are to take on responsibility for their diabetes management, their increased independence from their parents often results in taking on the additional responsibility at the cost of poorer adherence.

The authors conclude, “Findings indicate that a behavioral self-regulation intervention is a promising approach for preventing the decline in blood glucose control that typically occurs during adolescence. However, this intervention effect occurred specifically among middle adolescents and not among pre-/early adolescents. The outcomes suggest that self-management skills are a relevant and important target for improving blood glucose control during adolescence.”

SOURCE: Diabetes Care, 2007;30:2471-2477