Do education groups help diabetics and their parents?

Abstract

SUMMARY The importance of education in the management of diabetes is recognised but has rarely been assessed in children. In a longitudinal controlled study we have examined the effect of a programme of education on the knowledge, diet, and concentration of glycated haemoglobin A1c in a group of diabetics. The programme took the form of two packages of education each consisting of four weekly meetings, in which small groups of parents and older children were led in a discussion of different aspects of diabetes. Only one of the 119 families who began the study failed to complete it. Family knowledge about diabetes improved as a result of the programme, although this was poorly retained in the fathers. A trend to improvement in several aspects of diet was noted but did not reach significance. A significant fall in glycated haemoglobin A1c was apparent seven months after the education in children aged 11 years and over. Those whose initial control was poor improved most. We conclude that such meetings should be considered as a useful adjunct to regular diabetic clinics.

The effectiveness of family interventions in people with diabetes mellitus: a systematic review

“…Thirteen studies involved children with Type 1 diabetes [9,15–17,19–21,27–32]. The average age of participants was approximately 10 years; however, wide ranges within studies were noted.…”

“…To be included in the meta‐analysis for the knowledge category (parent scores only), the authors had to report outcomes specifically related to diabetes knowledge (general, treatment, or care). When more than one intervention group was compared with control [9,19–21], we chose the intervention theoretically most effective. We stratified studies a priori by follow‐up interval: < 3 months, 6–12 months [22], or > 12 months.…”

Educational Needs and Technological Preferences of Fathers of Youth With Type 1 Diabetes

“…This is consistent with previous findings. 22,23,39 In addition, results indicated that the educational needs of father caregivers are unrelated to disease duration; rather, they appear to be linked to the developmental stage of the child. For example, participants with teenage children with T1DM identified more topics, on average, than their counterparts with school-age children regardless of length of diagnosis.…”

“…13,[21][22][23] The educational needs of today's fathers are unknown and likely differ from participants in these earlier studies, and there is no currently available diabetes educational intervention that takes into account that most fathers will likely be more effectively reached outside the clinic. 7 One way to reach fathers outside the clinical setting is through the use of the Internet or mobile technology.…”

An audit of care provided for children with epilepsy in the South Tees area

“…This audit showed that in our practice, there is a need to improve these aspects of epilepsy management. These tasks would be easier in a clinic dedicated to children with epilepsy and indeed such`education clinics' have been well described for other conditions such as diabetes (Hackett et al 1989). A patient support group under the guidance of an epilepsy nurse specialist, is another way that further information about epilepsy can be disseminated.…”