Improving self-management and diabetes indicators in adolescents with type 1 diabetes through self-care education

Introduction: The frequency of type 1 diabetes (T1D) as one of the most prevalent endocrine disease in adolescents is increasing globally. This type of diabetes is a progressive degeneration β cells of the islets of Langerhans, which decreases insulin production and causes permanent dependence on insulin injection. It is essential to control diabetes in adolescents and increase awareness about the effective factors (self-care) on the health of adolescents with diabetes. Therefore, this study aimed to evaluate the effect of self-care training intervention on self-management subscales and some diabetes indicators (glycosylated hemoglobin level and fasting blood sugar) in adolescents with T1D.

Materials and methods: This study was conducted on 50 adolescents with T1D, who were referred to the Diabetes Clinic of Golestan Hospital, aged 12 to 18 and selected for this semi-experimental intervention and case-control study by the census. Six one-hour self-help sessions were held for adolescents and their parents. The data collection tools were the Adolescent Self-Care Questionnaire and the Diabetes Index Form for T1D (SMOD-A), used before and three months after the intervention. Chi-square, t-pair tests, and SPSS software version 23 were utilized for statistical data analysis.

Results: There was no significant difference between the case and control group regarding gender, age, race, course of the disease, education level, and family history of diabetes (P = 0.771, 0.551, 0.074, and 0.111, respectively). Three months after the intervention, a significant increase was observed in all subscales of self-management and total self-management (P < 001), and a significant decrease was seen in fasting blood sugar (P = 0.001) and glycosylated hemoglobin changes (P = 0.001).

Conclusion: Based on the results, training adolescents through a T1D self-care program effectively improved their overall and subscale self-management and reduced fasting glucose and HbA1c levels.