Towards Better Transitions for Children with Diabetes

Abstract

Children with Type 1 Diabetes (T1D) are required to manage their illness to alleviate further long-term complications. Although children are expected to engage in appropriate self-management activities once they become older, many of the children remain passive actors in managing their condition. Due to the lack of knowledge and skills, as well as changes in parent-child relationships, children demonstrate low self-care adherence. Consequently, parents also face difficulties in defining their role in long-term care. This study, part of a larger study, comprised of three phases: mobile app development, prototype feasibility testing, and usability testing with child-parent dyads users. As part of the third phase, this study used qualitative interviews with 24 child-parent dyads to understand the existing facilitators and barriers in using the app. Our findings suggest that users found that the app reminded them to track their blood glucose (BG) values and facilitated child-parent communication in a user-friendly manner. By capturing the emerging themes in adopting the app from the children's perspective, we will iteratively refine the app to better suit the users' requirements.

Best Practices for Developing a Diabetes mHealth App

“…This user-driven customization made the app more engaging and empowering, further reinforcing autonomous motivation. [34][35][36] We connected with the participants frequently through the use of emailed newsletters, social media groups, and satisfaction and usability questionnaires throughout the project. By maintaining continuous communication and assessments, we were able to stay connected with participants and refine the intervention based on their feedback, adhering to the principles of self-determination theory that stress relatedness and collaboration.…”

Use and Trends of Diabetes Self-Management Technologies: A Correlation-Based Study

“…In fact, having focus groups was found to have a significant role in assessing and promoting app acceptance. According to the average age of people with type 1 diabetes, new components such as gamification elements or parent-child tasks have been found to be beneficial [ 23 , 24 ].…”